Watchers, See-ers, and Unexpected Love
by Wunduful-White-Rappa-15
Summary: When an unexpected person arrives in the lives of the guardians, only Sandy and North know how to react and what needs to be done. Will someone find their see-er? Or will another guardian live on without love till the next one comes around?
1. Chapter 1

The small boy pattered down the street with no shoes on, as usual, trailing a girl about the same age as him by the hand behind him.

"Uagh! Wait! Jackson, you're going to fast!" The girl whined as she tumbled on behind him.

The boy, Jack, smiled to himself- knowing that however mad she may seem, she was happy to play with him.

Two blocks down, their mothers sat on a bench, listening to the hustle and bustle of the warm summer day around them. As the children approached them, their discussion faded from laughter into bemused smiles.

"Hello Jack, darling." The red-haired mother said.

"Good afternoon Melanie!" The brown-haired wife turned and pinched the boy's cheek, giggling.

He swats her hand away good-naturedly. "Mommy, we were talking to Edmund, and he said that we should get married. What's married?" The boy cocked his head to the side, seeing whether his mother would tell him, while still holding the girl's hand.

The red-haired mother is shocked, and turns to the other, "You'd think Cassy would keep her kids from spreading gossip like that, wouldn't you Marie?"

The younger mother, Marie, responds with a chuckle, "Well, once they learn a word they have to use it as much as possible!" She turned to the kids and answered them,

"Marrying someone is like making a promise. It's between a man and a woman, and they dress up and have a big party! You see, the two of them have to really love each other, and want to be together forever." She smiled, "Do you understand, luvvys?"

"Mother," The young girl piped up, "I want to marry Jackson!" The parents laughed at the innocence of their five year old children.

"Well, that's all fine and good, Melanie, but that means you have to kiss little Jack- and have babies!" She shook her finger at Danny. "Oh, and you're still much too young for that." She squeezed her nose lovingly.

Jack's eyes widened, and he leaned to his mom, eager to have her answer his secret question. He popped his hand to the side of his head, keeping his words safe from unwanted ears, and whispered to his mom, "Mommy... Could I..." His words steadily declined in volume, till Marie was leaning closer to him to keep up with the words. For a moment, shock registered as the only emotion on her face. Then, she laughed out loud. "No, Jackson Overland, you most definitally may not!"

"But momma, I want to!" The boy crossed his arms and said loudly, "I like her! That means I can, doesn't it?"

"Ah ha ha! Honey, it doesn't work like that! If you want to kiss her, you have to be older than you are now, and she has to want to kiss you, too!"

"How old, mom?" The boy said, frustrated.

"Hmm... Let's say about 13, okay, Jackie?"

The girl's head whipped around, widening at the sound of the word _kiss_. She looked back at her own mother, Laura, and told her flatly, "Well, I wanna kiss Jackson, mommy..." Her head tilted quizically. "But... What's a kiss?"

"Uh," The mothers looked at each other before continuing, "It's... Something that... People do when they're... In love! Yes. When people are in love they kiss."

"Well, we know thaaat. You're avoiding the topic, mom." The toddler sounded much older now that she'd been reading a bit more. Malanie had taken a liking to literature, and her mother wondered if she would grow up a bit faster than most.

But instead of facing the truth in that, she simply laughed with her friend and shooed the kids away.

~blubububububububTIMEFASTFORW ARDblububububububub~

The year was 1710, the air was crisp, and the sun was brighter than anyone had seen it in days.

It was February 19th, and there was a nice, fresh layer of snow over the ground. Sadly, the crystalline powder wouldn't stay like that for long.

A slight figure sprinted through town, whooping and shouting, hollering like his life depended on his being joyful. He was as obnoxiously happy as ever.

It was also 3:30 in the morning.

Jack had been up all night, just waiting for midnight, but had fallen asleep before the time had come. He woke up three and a half hours later to the realization that it was his birthday. Some farmers and merchants were awake and smoking on their porches out of habit, and smiled at the fun loving boy as he ran around aimlessly. Others, who were still groggy from sleep, shouted for him to keep his joy contained, though they could never stay mad at Jack for long.

Everyone knew today was Jack's birthday, his 13th to be exact. His first year as a teenager. But few realized his intentions for the day. His shouting turned into a small giggle, and his pace quickened, becoming less erratic. He slowed to a stop a few paces from a house, peeing excitedly into the window there.

He looked around, then pulled his short windbreaker over his head so that all he could see was the ground in front of him. Carefully, one hand extended and one keeping his new hood on, he fumbled his way over to the window and knocked on it loudly. Loudly enough to stir whoever was inside.

The girl stirred in bed, trying to decipher what that annoying sound was. She lifted her head and peered through the curtain of hair at her window. There was a masked figure rapping on the pane with his knuckles. Confused, she tried to think of what day it was. Her eyes snapped open, _It's Jackson's birthday! Oh, God, I need to get dressed!_ She flew around the room, grabbing her warmest garments, covering her thick black hair with a hooded cloak. Her green eyes flashed to the quilts piled by her bed, grabbing three, plus the covered basket on top of them. She wrote out a note for her mom, hanging it on her door, then whipped the window open to silence Jackson.

"Hey!" She whispered intensely, "If you don't mind..." He lifted the cloak enough to flash his crazy smile and bright brown eyes at her. She laughed at him and closed the window again. Creeping through the small house, she unlocked the door, closing it behind her silently. She turned around, and Jack was in her face again. "Ah, hey! Don't look yet!" He laughed and covered his eyes, smirking at her frustration. She grasped his hand and led him down the street, making a few random turns to confuse him. Once they were out of town, the girl relaxed a bit more and let Jack open his eyes. "Okay, I'm fairly sure you don't know where we are now, so just open your eyes."

"Well geez, Melanie, I didn't think you would be so merciful!" He laughed, still holding the girl's hand. She smiled and pulled him a little faster toward her secret hideout. She'd never taken anyone here, not even Jackson. They laughed and joked, enjoying the fresh breeze on their faces and the sound of crunching snow underfoot. Within what seemed like moments, they were shifting branches aside, entering a small space that seemed closed off from the rest of the world.

Melanie turned on her heel, face-to-face with Jack.

"Woah, heh-heh, aren't we daring?" Jack joked, shifting his eyebrows almost seductively.

Melanie laughed, and put her finger between his eyes, making him go cross-eyed. "If you ever tell ANYONE about this place Jackson Overland, I will kill you." She smiled and backed into the space, laying down two of the quilts she'd brought along for them. After a few moments, they sat on opposite sides of a basket, chatting and laughing happily. The snacks went quickly, and before they knew it, the cold was getting through both of their clothes.

Melanie offered, "Here Jackson, it's your birthday, take the quilt." She smiled, ever sacrificing for others.

Jack smiled and shook his head. He moved the picnic basket to the side and slid next to her. "No, no, we'll share." He pressed his side into her, wrapping the blanket around their shoulders so they were pulled even closer to her. "So, I do have a question for you..."

"What's that, Jackson?" Melanie giggled at him.

"Do you remember when we were like, 5... And we were totally convinced that we were going to get married and such?" He chuckled quietly, "And my mom told me that I could kiss you..."

"When you..." Melanie hesitated, "When you were thirteen, she said..." She lifted her chin slightly, her eyelids drooping just a bit.

Jack bowed his head, "Yeah... Well, I think I want to take her up on that..." They were inches apart then.

"I... I could..." Melanie's eyes got wider, then she squeezed them shut, "No. No. Not now." She pulled back. "I feel like we're too young. Maybe... Maybe next year, yeah?"

Jack closed his eyes, then nodded. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that." He smiled, and the awkward bit of talk was forgotten.

~blubububububububTIMEFASTFORW ARDBblububububububububub~

Melanie stood at the corner of the blacksmith's shoppe, waiting for her gift to be cooled and wrapped. She looked nervously from side to side, unsure of how secret the gift would stay before-

"LOOK OUT! COMING THROUGH!" The ground shook, the sound of shouts and shock filled the air. Melanie's head whipped around just in time to see a herd of sheep pounding down the street. Panicked, she jumped up on the counter of the blacksmith's, and turned to see Jack sprinting after them all, a wicked smile plastered on his face, and his hair flying wildly in the wind. He passed Melanie, arms flying, and hopped on one foot, trying to come to a stop. He backed up and threw an elbow up on the same counter she sat on. He blew the hair out of his face and lowered his eyebrows.

"Hey." He said with a cocked smile.

"OVERLAND! I WILL PUNISH YOU SEVERELY FOR THIS!" Jack looked scared, smiled at Melanie, and took off after the sheep again, chuckling nervously.

Mr. Jameson, the sheep farmer, stopped near Melanie, huffing and panting at his knees. He looked up at her desperately, and she pointed off in the direction Jack had gone, laughing to herself.

Leave it to her Jackson to start a sheep stampede for fun...

Thomas, the blacksmith's son, laughed from behind her, brushing back his sandy, gray tinged hair with thick, callused hands. "Look at 'im go," Thomas said, "He never ceases to amuse us all." He pulled out the gift she'd requested from behind him, "Here you are Melanie. Hope it's good enough." He smiled and walked back into the shoppe to start on his next job.

"Thanks Thomas! You're the best!" Melanie called back into the shoppe. She crossed her ankles and carefully unwrapped the thin tissue paper coating it. One glimpse and she knew it would be perfect. The match to it would come later, seeing as that would be of Jack's design.

She heard the shouting of an angry yet amused man from down the road as a teenage boy whipped past her again, laughing hysterically.

Mr. Jameson stopped next to her again, panting with effort. "That boy... Is a menace..." He gasped between words.

They chuckled together as Jack came face to face with a large male sheep, hopping on his feet to try stopping and backing up at the same time. Almost losing his balance, he stumbled into a huge heap of hay. Arms flying, he struggled desparately to gain distance between himself and the sheep that was now scrapeing it's hoof against the ground.

Jack turned over and flopped over the hay, but not in time. The sheep got a good ram up behind him before running back to the rest of the herd. Jack groaned, letting himself sink into the hay. Melanie gasped, not sure if he really was okay, and hopped down from the counter to run over to him.

He lay on his side, still groaning out the pain and squeezing himself into the fetal position.

"Jackson!" She rolled him onto his back, "Jackson, are you okay?!" She held his face gingerly, watching his eyelids flutter tiredly.

"Oungh..."

"Jackson? Come on, all that fun and you're going to let a little butt bump get you down?" Melanie smiled at him half-heartedly, hoping to convince him while consoling herself as well.

"Ungh... That... That seriously hurt... Hey... Mel?" He turned to her, his brown eyes still squinted from pain.

"Yes?"

"Do not ever, ever... Let me do that again..." He slammed his face back into the hay and groaned loudly again. "It really sucked..."

"Oh..." She tried to contain her new found laughter, "Okay. But Jackson,"

"Mmm... Mhm...?"

"You sorta deserved that." She smiled and pinched his nose, then dragged him up from the pile. Still somewhat weakened by the injury, he fell into her, then turned it into a hug.

"Aha... Yeah, I guess I do, huh? What would I do without you, mmm?" He nuzzled her neck.

"Ah, Jack!" She blushed, "What- in public? Really?"

"Hm." He smiled into her shoulder, "You're right. It's obnoxious." He let go of her, pushing back to hold her shoulders at arm's length. "I simply cannot wait..." He trailed off, noticing the bulge in her vest pocket. "What's that...?"

"Ah! Nothing!" She grabbed her cloak, wrapping it securely around her waist so that it would be inaccessable. "You'll see soon enough!" She grinned, pinching his nose again, and took a step back. Then another.

He stepped toward her, his face twisted mischeviously into a half-smile that just screamed trouble. She took another step, then at the last minute turned on her heel and sprinted down the road, trying desperately to get to her house before Jack could get to her.

~blububububububububTIMEFASTFO RWARDblububububububububub~

"MRS. OVERLAND!" Melanie sprinted to the house, hauling a basket on one arm and a box in the other. "Mrs. Overland, quick! Where's Jackson?"

Jack's mom stood outside washing clothes in a bucket, taking advantage of the warm winter weather. "Oh, you just missed him, he and Olivia just went to the lake over there. Oh, and I have the dress ready inside if you'd like to see it!" She wiped her hands on her apron, but Melanie refused.

"No thanks! I'm going to go join them." She ran off, excited to the point of sprinting. Tomorrow was her birthday after all, and the day after that-

Her thoughts were broken as she reached the clearing by the lake. She saw Jack throw Olivia, and smiled, he was always so... Wait... Were those cracks in the ice by his feet?

As Melanie realized what was going to happen, Jack dropped. She didn't feel the sound of her own voice tear at her throat, she didn't see Olivia's face, she didn't feel her own tears flow- there was only the pain in her chest as despair tore at her heart.

The last thing she remembered hearing was her own voice screaming his name, before everything went black.

bloop~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~bloop

Hannah opened her eyes, confused.

She sat up in bed, thinking to herself, _God... What a wierd dream... My name was different, how crazy. Oh well._


	2. Chapter 2

Hannah stepped into the cold December air, letting the crisp atmosphere surround her before continuing to the bus stop. She let her mind wander to the odd dream that had been haunting her lately.

It was Friday the 20th of December. She'd been having this dream for a little under a week then, since that Monday in fact. Every night was like a run through of memories from another world... Another person a long time ago. But it was her in the dream, of that she was sure. Hannah's face twisted into a puzzled pout.

The large yellow vehicle rolled to a stop by her curb, and she found her seat there. Mary-Anne(nicknamed Mah for the sound MA makes) was on the bus, finally. Hannah's face lit up with relief. Mah always knew what was up.

"Morning, soul-sucker!" Hannah greeted Mah.

"Oh, there you are, dirt-face!" The girls laughed to themselves and adjusted themselves as the bus shifted into motion.

"Okay, Mah, I'm not going to dance around the problem here," Hannah started, "I've been having this dream all week, and it's really creeping me out." She described the dream and all the things about it. She felt almost a stirring in her chest, like it was all significant. Finally, when she was done, she asked Mah, "So what's up with my brain?"

Some of the other kids on the bus looked at her weird, but Hannah paid them no mind. It was her senior year, and she wasn't about to go around caring what people thought _now_. She was past that sort of thing.

Mah thought carefully, assessing Hannah and the dream separately and comparing things in her mind. "Well... It just seems like you're having weird dreams. You don't know anyone like the boy you described, Jack was it? And you certainly don't live in a town called Burgess or live waaay back in the day like you're describing... Maybe you just watched an influential movie?"

They chatted a bit more about it, but Hannah wasn't convinced of what Mah was saying. _Oh well, _she thought, _the dreams will go away eventually_.

blub~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~blub

After that day, she still had the dreams. Hannah was nearly tearing her hair out trying to cope with it, but no matter what she did they stayed. When Christmas Eve finally came around, however, they suddenly stopped.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, Hannah rolled out of bed, her head a rat nest of knots and tangles. She peered through the fuzzy halo of hair at her clock and smiled. _Best sleep I've had in weeks. But I have to wonder... Why now?_

She shook her head and went to shower. No use wondering about your sub-conscious. It was useless. After all, why worry herself when the next day was Christmas? It was better to just be happy and go with the season. The whole day went pretty smoothly, and Hannah was in a much better mood than ever.

Until that night, that is.

The house was silent when Hannah woke. Her sixth sense was going nuts, giving her the feeling that there was something wrong. A creak echoed from downstairs, and silently, she shot out of bed. As quickly and quietly as possible, she grabbed a sweater and a baseball bat.

Her steps hushed, she slid out her door and down the stairs, avoiding the seventh from the top because it creaked.

She heard a small crunch, and something like chewing. Hannah sighed to herself and let her arms droop.

_Just one of my stupid little brothers, eating the cookies we left out_. She threw herself around the corner to the living room, brown hair cascading over her shoulders as she whipped into the room-

And stopped in shock.

A fat man in a red shirt and pants with suspenders stood, thick beard falling to his sternum. A pair of startlingly blue eyes stared at her shocked, almost like they were filled with wonder. She whipped the bat back up to a defensive position, ready to beat this stranger to death if needed.

"Who... What... WHAT!?"

The man looked even more bewildered. "You... You can see me?" He shifted to face her and chuckled. "Well... You're a bit old to still be believing in St. Nick, aren't you?"

He had a Russian accent.


	3. Chapter 3

Hannah glared at the thick red blob before her, a man of enormous stature with tattoos up and down his arms. Hannah sized him up, seeing that this man had obviously broken into her house.

Looking closer, she realized the tattoos said "Naughty" and "Nice". _Oh no, this guy is a sociopath... He must really think he's Santa Claus!_

She hefted her bat a little higher, and inched toward the phone, trying to be inconspicuous. "Wh... What's your name...?" She was about 10 feet away from her goal.

"You do not recognize me?" The jolly man chuckled. "You must believe in me to see me... A little shocked perhaps?" A look of confusion crossed his face.

"Uh, oh... No... I know who you are! You're..." She glanced at the home phone, now only about 5 feet away. "You're St. Nick! Santa Claus... Papa Noel... Etcetera..." She smiled nervously.

"Ah! Then why so nervous? I will be on my way lickety-split! Now, off to bed with you! Let's not tell parents, yes?" He shook his finger good-naturedly, but she wasn't convinced. "You seem unhappy, yes? What is wrong child?"

Hannah shifted her feet, keeping the bat high, but staying casual. Her eyes flicked to the phone, then back to the intruder.

"N...Nothing... I just... Uh..." Something small and clumsy clambered out of her kitchen, something smeared on his face. It looked like grape jelly. "Ah! Uh, oh, what... Is that...?" It was too small to be a midget, and seemed to be very... What was a nice way to put it... Dull. In the head, that is.

"This? This is Dingle! He is head elf! Surely you believe in elves!" He chuckled, but still looked confused. "Do you? Believe in elves, that is?"

Hannah couldn't bring herself to lie, so she stared at him blankly.

"No... It could not be... Do you believe in Santa Claus, child...?" Hannah shrunk a little, tensing her arms. She knew he figured her out, she was ready to swing if he got upset. However... He didn't seem mad. He seemed... Curious... Awed... Like it was a wondrous thing that she didn't believe in St. Nick...

"Then you must be... You must be a see-er."

_That's it. He's nuts._

And then Hannah lunged for the phone... And crashed into something huge and furry. The large beast whimpered, shocked by the sudden movement.

"WHA- what's that!?" She scrambled back and fell on her butt, then scooted farther away from it.

"Oh, this? This is yeti. Very good workers, yes. Very skilled. Now, what is your name, child?"

"Agh- a yeti!? Wha... What is it... What are you!?" Hannah shot up. "You can't be Santa, there's no such person! You're obviously some psychopath with access to a zoo of some sort. So why are you here? Why my house? Why Christmas!?" She held the bat higher. "WHO ARE YOU!?"

The man seemed lost in thought.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. "You must come with me."

"Wait. What." Hannah spoke statements, not questions. She'd already missed her chance to call the police, and she couldn't struggle her way out of this... There was no way of knowing how that... _Yeti_ thing would react... And there was now way to tell what the huge, white-haired man had on his person.

"Yes, DINGLE!" The man called to the midget... Thing... "Prepare a snow-globe, we must bring this girl with us back to the pole. You and the yetis will take her back to Pole, and I will finish rounds. Bzingfort," he called to the furry beast, "Send a message to Father Time and Sandy immediately. They will need to alter the memory and time around her family until further notice."

Hannah scrambled back toward the stairs, hoping to get to her room and escape the crazy man, but it was too late. The yeti was dragging her down the stairs by the foot, dangling her upside down so that her shirt and sweater slid down her torso.

"AUGH! PUT ME DOWN! HE-" The elf slapped a piece of tape over her mouth, while she desperately grabbed at her clothes to keep them on.

Then, the portal opened. It was beautiful. Colors swirled like mist around a snowy wasteland. Far in the distance, Russian style buildings stood at irregular intervals, the northern lights shimmering far above. Then the yetis threw her through the portal.

First of all, wearing shorts was not helping. Not only did she land in the snow, but she was sitting there alone, waiting for yetis to help her get her bearings.

They charged out of the hole behind her already shivering figure.

"Wh... Where am I?" She asked Bzingfort.

He made some animal sounds, but nothing intelligible. Seeing her confusion, the yeti leaned down and drew a circle in the snow. Intrigued, Hannah leaned over to watch. The yeti continued with his game of pictionary, adding some things like continents and lights. Then he pointed to the top of the globe-like drawing, and indicating that that's where they were.

Rebekah understood. "Oh," She said, "The North Pole. Of course. The lights, the northern lights... Got it." She sighed. The man obviously wasn't crazy in thinking that he was Santa... He was just crazy in actions.

Suddenly, the yetis noticed the shivering of the poor girl, and picked her up. They carried her through the snow until they reached the nearest building. Once they were inside, they gave her a huge cup of hot chocolate and continued on their way.

The inside of the building was very homey, with trinkets and toys and gadgets sitting everywhere Hannah looked. It was incredible!

A large sphere sat ahead of them, what seemed to be an elevator of sorts. The yetis opened the door and ushered her in, pressing a button that lowered them down to another floor of the same workshop sort of area.

From there, they traveled for another 10 minutes, until finally, they reached a wide open circle space, with floors that were open to the center, where an enormous, glittering globe sat, slowly rotating.

Hannah could see the northern lights shimmering through some sky lights.

In front of her, the real attraction was the group of four people standing in front of her, arguing impatiently.


	4. Chapter 4

The four stopped their chatter as the yetis cleared their throats. Hannah felt heat rushing to her cheeks, imagining what they saw her as.

She was, in reality, not that bad looking. Slick, raven black hair, bright green eyes, and a nice complexion. Wearing shorts, a tank top and an extra-large sweatshirt, she looked like any typical teenager who was naturally pretty. However, she thought she must look like a monster in her rumpled pajamas.

The group before her was an odd assortment of people... If you could call them that. There was a very colorful bird woman, flitting around in the air like some sort of humming bird. Next to her stood a large... Rabbit? His fur was blueish and coated with simple, yet flattering tattoo-like designs. He also had some boomerangs strapped tightly to his back. Next was a teenage looking boy, wearing a simple blue hoodie and a pair of torn, tied off brown jeans, who was balancing nonchalantly on top of a hooked stick. He had brown hair and eyes, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Below him floated a small, round man that glittered, and was the color of sand in a sunset.

It seemed like the yetis and Hannah had just waltzed in during some sort of rant.

"Oh. Well don't you have fabulous timing!" The bunny-man shouted, and hopped over toward the girl. "Who's this, now?"

"My name is Hannah, and you don't have to act like I'm not here." The girl snapped grumpily.

The bunny's ears snapped back. He was about to mutter something offensive when the fairy girl flew over to his rescue.

"Come on now, Bunnymund! Cut her some slack! It can't possibly be her fault that North's late! Anyway, dear, I'm the tooth fairy! But you can call me Toothiana, or Tooth for short, if you'd like." She grinned down at Hannah sweetly, extending a hand that was shaken almost immediately.

"I can believe it. So," She turned to Bunnymund. "You'd be the Easter Bunny... Correct?"

Bunny seemed to have regained his composure. "That's right, ya flippin gumby. You thought _she_ was?" He jabbed a thumb at Tooth jokingly. "And the name's E. Aster Bunnymund. Just call me Bunny, eh mate?"

"Sure. And you... Father Time?" She looked down at the golden one. Bunny laughed.

"No, no, that's Sand Man. We call him Sandy here. And that ovah there is Jack Frost, but he's not important, are ya Frostbite?"

The boy on the stick stuck his tongue out at the rabbit, and hopped off his stick.

"Anyways mate, why are you here?" Bunny shifted his attention toward Hannah again. "Did North send you? Did the Man in the Moon getchya? What's your story?"

She pushed lightly on the bunny's chest to get him to back away from her slightly, then decided she'd tell them the truth. "Well, you see, it's like this..."

When she had finished explaining the whole scenario that had led her here, Tooth, Bunny and Sandy were silent. However, Jack didn't seem fazed.

"You..." Tooth started, "You're a see-er?"

"That's what Santa told me."

Bunny looked nervous. In fact, he looked like he was blushing. "Did, ah... Did he tell you what that means?"

"Nope. He didn't have time."

"Well... Ah... I suppose it's not really that important. Let's just-"

"NOT IMPORTANT!?" Tooth roared. "DO _YOU_ KNOW THE REAL DEAL BEHIND THIS? Do you know what this means for you, Jack and Sandy!?"

"I realize full well what it means for us three, but you have to understand-"

"Whoa whoa whoa- why does this include me?" Jack strutted over to the arguing bunny and fairy, interrupting them.

Bunny sighed.

"Well, ya bloody well done it now, haven't ya Tooth?" She blushed. "Fine. Well, now that it's story time, you'd all betta gatha round. Come on, mates. Let's go."

They all sat in a circle, Hannah and the yetis opposite Bunnymund, with Jack and Sandy to one side, Tooth fidgeting on the other. Bunnymund began his explanation.

"You see, a see-er is a mortal being that can see any guardian without believing in them. Typically, those people are descendants and/or reincarnations of someone from a guardian's past life. These people, these see-ers, are critical to a guardian's life. Every once in a while, we'll discover one. Now, don't think that we abduct them or anything, there's a reason to the madness.

"The thing is, some see-ers, if found at the right time, can be watchers." Fairy squealed. "Hush now, mate, I've got to get through this. Now, a watcher is special. A watcher is a mortal who will become the _spouse_ of a guardian. Yes, very romantic. Now, the catch is that in order for a watcher to be discovered, and for them to remember their past life with said guardian, they have to be found and find their guardian within a year of the happening.

"The happening, as I've called it, is the last time that the watcher saw their guardian in their past life. So, if for example, you, Hannah, were in love with a guardian in their first life, and in one of your previous lives, and the last time you saw them was when you were 30, then we'd have to get you and that guardian together by the day before your 31st birthday. If you don't find your guardian, or they don't find you, you're simply reincarnated until you do." The group nodded, understanding.

"So how it is, is that North, or Santa to you, is the only guardian who's found his watcher. Not even Manny has one, though I suspect he simply didn't have a love in his first life. Anyway, you're a see-er, which means you're probably gonna marry one of us three. Sorry for the unexpected news."

Hannah, on the contrary, didn't seem shocked or fazed in the slightest. She seemed accepting. "Well, today I found out that every myth, legend, and fable that I thought was just for entertainment is real. So nothing is really that big to me now. My question is, how do I know which one of you it is?"

"That, my dear," Bunny said, pointing a boomerang at her, "is an excellent question. You see-"

North burst into the room behind Hannah, shouting, "I AM HOME! Please tell me someone made cookies, yes?"


	5. Chapter 5

North looked shocked to see the crowd before him, organized in a loose circle.

Hannah looked up at him as he entered, but quickly turned back to Bunny. "Alright, now how do I tell which one of you is... Well, _the one_?"

Bunny blushed slightly, and continued. "Well, that person should appear or act differently to you than the rest of us. For example, you'd see my fur as a different color or something like that. Yeah, something like that... But it's not really useful..."

"Oh. So, I just have to name things off about you guys and see what's weird?"

"No, no, that may not work. See, like I said, it may not be useful. The problem is that when you reach the age of the happening, your guardian will change in your eyes. After that, the rest of us will change as well. So the problem is, we might have all changed to you, or we may be changed soon. At this point, none of us might look any different. The real way to see which of us it is is for you to re-live the memories. The past life's memories, that is."

"Okay, and how do I do that?"

"You'd have to hear something, a key phrase or a very important thing that we said in a past life to you. It should re-awaken your senses, and you'll remember it all. Then you'll know which of us it is."

Hannah nodded. Seemed easy enough.

"So I'm basically going to be with you three for however long it takes for me to re-awaken to my senses, right?"

"That's it, mate. You get us three gentlemen as your dates until then." Jack grinned.

"Well... This may just be more fun than a snow day!" Sandy punched him in the shoulder, and his voice rang out-

"How rude! She's a lady!" Hannah's eyes widened slightly.

"Hmm. I just assumed you didn't speak."

Bunny looked up from Sandy. "That's right, he doesn't. He uses those pictures as a way to communicate.

"What... What pictures...?" Hannah was somewhat lost.

Sandy turned to her in awe, "You... You can hear me speak?"

"Oh," Hannah yawned, "Yes, I can... Your voice is so lulling!" She chuckled nervously. The other four guardians (one of whom had found a plate of cookies to munch on) stared at her, shocked.

"You... You hear him speak..." Bunny looked sadly disappointed. "That's a change from what we see."

"Oh. Is it?" Hannah looked at Sandy, blushing, "Well, that's one person changed!"

Sand Man flew around the room, laughing excitedly, "SHE CAN HEAR ME! SOMEONE CAN HEAR ME SPEAK!" He continued his happy rant while the rest of the guardians payed him no mind.

"So..." Hannah yawned again. "Is there any room in this place with a bed, by any chance?" She scratched the back of her head tiredly.

"Oh, I am afraid not." North began. "I will have the yetis build you one immediately! You would like soft bed, yes? Very good," He answered before she could speak up, "Bzingfort!" The yeti on Hannah's left turned his head toward the great jolly man. "Go and make a bed immediately, our guest will need sleep."

"Wh... Wait, you guys don't sleep?"

"No, not really! We have no need! We are immortal after all!" Tooth said... Well, toothily.

"Oh. Of course. Well, that's going to make for an interesting wedding night soon..." Hannah rolled her eyes jokingly. Of course, only Jack got the joke.

"A ha... You... You should do stand up or something!" He said when he finished laughing. By the insane laughter, Bunny and Tooth had inferred that it was a dirty joke, but were too embarrassed to laugh. North simply sat eating his cookies. "That was good. Anyway, I'm Jack. Jack Frost." He shook her hand. Hannah noticed that his hand was cool against hers. "I guess we'll be spending quite a lot of time together now, huh?" He chuckled and flew off, shouting something about a snow day in Toronto, and being back before dinner.

"Ah... He's... He's something alright." Bunny said, scratching himself behind the ears.

Hannah nodded, understanding. For a moment, she let the whole situation sink in.

She'd been abducted by Santa Claus.

He'd thrown her through a portal with some yetis.

She'd just met the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost, Sand Man, and the Tooth Fairy.

She was practically engaged to one of the aforementioned male guardians.

And her family probably had no idea where she was.

It seemed unreal, but she was ready to accept it for some reason. She felt like it was right, there was no real way to explain it... Hannah felt like there was some connection to a dream she'd been having... But she couldn't remember anything about that dream. It was like trying to grasp fog. It always alluded her if she was trying to remember, trying to grasp the fog.

She was interrupted from her deep thoughts by a yeti coming back into the main area with a bag in his hand. He uttered something like words, but they were too animal for her to comprehend.

North translated- "Ah! They say room is ready, and they have brought you clothes! Please, you should sleep now, eh? You must be overwhelmed, yes? Yes. Now, off to bed with you, little one!"

Hannah stood, thanking the yeti for the clothes, and waving goodbye to what remained of the guardian's story time circle.

As they neared the room, North taking a lead in front of her, she felt the need to straighten something out.

"Just so you know," She began, "I'm not a little one... I'm 17 actually. As of last month. November 21st to be specific."

North nodded. "I will keep in mind, sorry. Ah, here we are! I will leave you to self. Please, call for yeti when you are hungry, or ready to come out." He smiled and left her, an air of jolliness drifting behind him.

Hannah closed her door behind her and looked at the clothes in the bag. There were 3 tee-shirts, just her size, with simple, yet elegant and beautiful designs stitched on them. There were also 3 pairs of jeans in the bag, pairs that were almost the same design as her favorite pairs back home. Alongside those were some pajamas.

Hannah slipped the clothes back in the bag, having no need for them until she would wake up, and noticed something about the tee-shirts. There was one that was white, with a pattern of pretty, bright blue snowflakes on it. Another was gray-blue with flowers etched into the fabric. The last was a golden shirt with sequins in the pattern of simple swirls up the side.

Hannah laughed to herself. One shirt for each potential suitor. Cute. Well, they would have to wait until she was up. Hannah looked toward the bed, fatigue suddenly overwhelming her. She slid under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

_Man..._ She thought, _What a day_.


	6. Chapter 6

Hannah woke to a chiming sound. She lifted her head from the down-stuffed pillow, and listened as a far off bell chimed 9 times.

_Wow, I must've been out for a while... Then again, North brought me here at around midnight..._

She sat up and stretched, ruffled her already tangled hair, and glanced around the room she'd been given. It was fairly simple, just a bed and a night stand, with two doors, on opposite sides of the room. One lead out into the hallways, and the other to a bathroom- the door to which stood open.

The dark haired girl stood, grabbing some clothes from the bag and sliding into the bathroom, letting the door click shut behind her.

She set the clothes on the counter of the small sink and dropped her own wrinkled clothes to the floor. The shower was hot and clean, and the walls were stocked with peppermint and cookie scented washes. She took her time scrubbing herself down, then rinsed and stepped out. The towels that hung on the wall next to the shower were big, fluffy, and a wide range of reds and greens.

When she was mostly dry, she slid on the undergarments and pair of jeans that had been provided to her. Then she stared down the three shirts she had at her disposal. She snatched up the one with flowers, automatically thinking that the gold one was too girly with it's sequins, but she'd definitely spill something on the blinding white shirt.

Steam spilled out of the bathroom as she walked back over to the bed. There was a set of hair and makeup things lying there, with a small tooth shaped sticky note stuck to the bottom corner of the makeup bag.

_Hannah,_ it read, _make good use of these! ~Tooth_

She smiled and did exactly as the note said.

When she stepped out of the room to find the guardians, Her hair was dried, straight, and fluffy. Her makeup done up simply, she started her trek toward the main hall she'd been in yesterday, and of course got lost.

After 20 minutes of wandering aimlessly, flustered and angry, she rounded yet _another_ corner, and almost knocked down and older looking woman. She must've been in her 60's or 70's.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, Ms..." She looked up at the woman, "Uh, who are you?"

The woman laughed, whole and jolly, and said with a Russian accent, "Oh, I'm Mrs. North. I'm sure you would not know this, I tend to keep busy elsewhere while Nick plays in his workshop." She smiled and offered Hannah one of the cookies she was carrying.

Hannah declined, still somewhat shocked to see _the _Mrs. Claus standing in front of her. But of course, in reality she was Mrs. North. Hannah helped her with the cookies she was carrying.

"Now, you are see-er girl that Nick brought back with him last night, ya?"

Hannah nodded, trying not to let her now overflowing panic show through her expression.

"Well, let's talk, shall we?" Mrs. North knew exactly what the girl would be going through.

Hannah asked her as much as she could think of that pertained to watchers and see-ers as they chatted, trying to learn as much about her situation as she could before she'd have to face up to any of her suitors. There was so much she wondered about, but there was really nothing that the elderly Russian woman could tell her that would answer her questions for sure.

Before long, Hannah felt a connection to this woman, like a grandmother or a good friend. They laughed as they pushed through a set of double doors into a room with large, open windows and a long table with 8 chairs.

On the table were platters upon platters of food laid out, many of them breakfast items, some Christmas time snacks.

Hannah looked around in wonder. _How do they get all this food!? _Was her first thought.

The doors at the opposite end of the hall creaked open, revealing a yeti in an apron and chef's hat. It yelped a little bit at the sight of the two women, surprised at their presence.

He carried a large plate of french toast to the table and set it next to a heap of crepes. Behind him, North bust through the door laughing, Tooth, Sandy, Jack, and a strange man behind him.

_Hm... I wonder where Bunny is...?_

The stranger was _very_ handsome, by Hannah's standards. He walked around in a loincloth of what looked like rabbit fur, revealing chiseled abs and toned muscles from head to foot. His head was a mop of blonde hair, tinted lightly with some brown. His chin matched with a sprinkle of blonde scruff, more of a 5 'o clock shadow than a beard. Brownish eyelashes thickly framed his bright green eyes, and his tan emphasized them even further. On his arm was a tattoo that reminded Hannah a lot of Bunny's dark markings...

Then he said something to North.

With an Australian accent.

Hannah dropped the cookie in her hand. The six people around her stopped and looked at her, jaw hanging open just a bit wider than her eyes.

"Ey," The man said, "Ya look like a bloddy gumby just droppin' things like that. What's wrong, Hannah?" Self consciously, she picked up the cookie from the floor, blushing at herself.

"You..." The group looked at her expectantly, waiting for the rest of the statement. "You're..."

None of the guardians or the man knew which person she was talking to for sure, but they all assumed she meant the man.

"M-me?" He said, pointing a calloused finger at his chest.

Hannah nodded.

"W-well what about me?" He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his hips. The fur around his waist slid down a little further on his body.

"You're... You're Bunnymund!?"

"Well of course I am, who do I look like, Sandy?"

Hannah dropped the cookie again.


	7. Chapter 7

"So you're saying that I look like a super sexy, very toned, very nude Australian man? A _human_ man!?" Bunnymund was incredulous.

"Uh... Yeah... Pretty much." Hannah's face pulsed with blush. Jack looked annoyed.

"I don't see how he can look _sooo_ good. I mean, really!"

Sandy smiled. "Jealous, are we?"

Hannah's face was on fire.

"Anyways," North interrupted, "This is good. It means we have found you at right time. Now, we must see who your guardian is. You hear Sandy talk, you see Bunny as man, now we must simply wait for Jack's change."

"What would I look like? I mean, I'm already normal!" He laughed, lounging in one of the chairs around the large wood table.

"Well, perhaps your hair would no longer be white, yes?" North was trying hard to think of something else, but Hannah interrupted.

"What do you mean?"

The group looked at her oddly, all of them confused.

"Well, what do you mean his hair would _no longer_ be white?" Now she seemed to look insane.

"Hannah," Tooth started, "What color do you think Jack's hair is?"

"Well it looks brown to me, but I'm probably wrong... Right?"

Jack's eyes were wide, with an emotion swirling in their depths that Hannah hadn't yet seen in them. It looked like, hope, maybe? _Funny_, she thought, _his freckles are standing out now... I didn't even notice them.__  
_

Tooth squealed. "OOOH! This is all just too much for me!" She zipped around the room excitedly, her feathers fluffed and ruffled.

"Hannah," North started, "We see Jack as a boy with blue eyes, and white hair... So you view all three of them differently... This is interesting..."

"And why's that?" Hannah replied.

"Oh, simply because we do not know which of them it is... But Bunny is out of race."

"What!? You're saying I'm not the one, mate? 'At's a load 'a codswollap if ya ask me!" E. Aster fumed to himself while the rest of the guardians plus Hannah talked on, though he knew they were right.

"So now, is down to Sandy and Jack."

The boys looked at her. She wasn't sure what to think. Her destiny was sitting in one of those two seats... How was she supposed to react to that!?

She shoved her chair back from the table (still piled with food, though all 7 of them had splurged until they were ready to burst) and stormed back to her room. She could feel the heat welling up behind her eyes, heat burning her face. _Why am I crying!? This isn't that bad! I'll never have to worry about boyfriends, or heart break, or guys using me... This is actually a great deal! But if it is... Why do I feel so terrible about it...?_

For a good ten minutes, she sat on the fluffy bed in her room and cried. Finally, she sat up when she heard a knock at the door. Smearing her makeup a little as she swiped her hand across her face, she croaked out, "Who is it?"

Bunny answered quietly.

"Oh... Okay, come in."

The beautiful Aussie sat down next to her on the bed, leaving the door mostly open. "Hey, you feelin' all right?"

Hannah sniffed, trying to keep the liquid from running out of her nose. "I guess I'm just stressed. I mean, my life is ahead of me with this... This is what my future is, this place... I just don't know how to react to that."

He nodded, unsure of what to say. "Well... One thing's for sure... It ain't me. Your future, that is. See, the guardian you notice a change in _first_ is yours. So it's not me." He looked at her, eyes twinkling. "I could bet who it is, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say."

Hannah wiped under her eyes again, trying to clear the makeup away. She looked at him pleadingly.

He chortled, "Well if I had to bet, mate, I'd say Jack's the one you should spend time with." At her confusion, he chuckled and continued, "See, he's frozen at 18, and you're, what, 17 now? North said your birthday was in November. Anyways, Sandy was probably a bit older than that in his past life... Alright, _definitely_ older!"

Hannah blushed. "Yeah... About that birthday thing..."

Bunny looked at her, confused.

"Well, I lied. To make it seem like we had more time for me to... Ya know, figure stuff out... My birthday is actually in February. I'll be 18. On the 6th." She ran her hand through her hair, shy, but Bunny didn't look shocked.

"I figured. Well, you've still got plenty of time now. Like I said, I'm assuming that Jack will be the one for you!" He nudged her jokingly. She didn't seem happy though.

"Well _that's_ comforting! I mean, look how immature he is- and I'd have to be with him forever!? I don't know about it... I can hardly handle my little brother, I don't want two!"

"He can be a handful, that's for sure... But if you could've loved him in a past life, I'm sure you could now. He isn't so bad once ya know 'im." He smiled and clapped his hand on her shoulder. "You'll be alright, eh mate? Now take a nap, you seem all tuckered out."

He grinned back at her as he left, letting the door slide closed behind him. Hannah was wiping her sleeve across her nose when the door clicked open again.

"By the way, mate, you can call me if you need to talk. I have a feeling you'll be needin' it." He winked and left the door cracked open. Hannah felt herself smile before she bent over and closed her eyes, still sitting on top of the covers, clutching her pillow to her abdomen.

In the hallway, Jack passed by Bunny and held out a hand to stop him. "Hey, is she...?"

Bunny nodded, "She's fine. Probably asleep."

The frost spirit nodded and kept on, working his way toward the girl's room. Before entering, he peered through the crack in the doorway and saw that she was dozing peacefully, her back turned to him. He sighed, knowing there was really nothing he could do to ease her pain.

He understood how she felt, really. Forced into this life without any knowledge of why she was there or what she was supposed to do... It was exactly how his life had been for about 300 years. For a few minutes, he leaned against her doorway, just watching her sleep, pondering what her life must be like now.

She shivered suddenly, having caught a draft from the open window above the bed. Jack straightened, hesitating before he entered the room. Standing next to her, he hesitated again. Touching her skin would be like dunking her in ice water... She shuddered with cold again. He walked back to the end of the bed, pulling the sheets and comforter out from under her, then pulling them back up and over her.

He almost left, before he made one more decision. Jack leaned down, kissed her cheek softly, then left the room. A previously unknown heat made it's way into his cheeks, working around his face like a parasite. He couldn't believe he'd just, just _kissed_ her like that! He stood still out in the hallway, then shook his head and moved on.

_She seems so familiar... Besides, she won't remember it..._ And with that, he walked away.

Unbeknownst to him, Hannah sat in the bed, now covered by warm, thick sheets, eyes wide open, cheeks very red... And smile very wide.


	8. Chapter 8

**~Hey guys! Thanks for all the comments, I love how into this you guys are! Then again, I could be mistaking the comments... If you're mad at me, sorry. I'm taking it as a compliment. XD~**

By lunch, Hannah had not only regained her composure, but was much happier. After she took a short nap, she hastily redid her spattered makeup and rushed out of the room. Brimming with a new excitement than before, she bounced down the halls on the balls of her bare feet. When she reached the globe, she found Mrs. North scuttling around with the elves, handing out sweets and treats.

"Hey!" She smiled and waved at the old woman.

"Oh, hello Hannah! I was worried you would not calm down!" She hurried over to Hannah and hugged her. "I am so very glad you're alright. I offered to go and sit with you, but Aster insisted!"

Hannah grinned at her, "Oh, yeah, he was a huge help actually."

"Well you look brand new! Good. Mr. Frost and Sand Man have been worried _sick_! You should go see them to ease their pain." She patted Hannah's shoulder and pushed her lightly in the right direction. The girl allowed herself to be lead to the guardians by a yeti, not paying much attention to which route they took. After five or so minutes, she was ushered into a large, dim room. It held a fire, many work tables, and 5 immortal guardians.

North flung his arms wide, shouting. "Ah! Hannah! You look well-rested. I am glad you are up. We have talking to do." He rubbed his hands together and Hannah peered at him quizzically.

"What's up?"

The guardians were all focused on her, but she could feel Jack's and Sandy's eyes on her strongest. North began talking, ignorant to their stares. "Tooth, Bunny and I have agreed that it is time for your 'dates' to begin. Now, we need you two to say something that will trigger memories. Neither Jack nor Sandy has recollection of any love in their past life simply because they are shrouded from our memories by Manny. _You_ should not remember either, considering this was a very long time ago." He smiled at her.

"Okay... So let's see." She tapped her chin. "I'll have to pretty much date you two until I, or you, say something that we've already said in another life, correct? So then let's get down to business! I like scented candles, but roses are too much. Get me something pretty, and we'll see where it goes." She clapped her hands together. "I am a princess, and intend to be treated as such."

The guardians laughed with her, but even though they acted like it was a joke, Jack and Sandy could tell she pretty much meant it.

And so North decreed that the dates would begin that night. Sandy would be with her that night, and the date would begin at 7. Somehow, Tooth was more ready for it than Hannah was.

When 7:00 rolled around, Tooth was in Hannah's room with her, throwing her into a dinner dress. Hannah had already done up her hair and makeup, and was flung out of the room before even getting to glance at the dress.

A golden man stood in front of her, maybe a few inches taller than herself, wearing a shimmering tuxedo that matched his skin and hair color.

She straightened it out as Sand Man took her arm, shocked that he could shift himself into such an appearance.

North had said that the boys could take her wherever they thought was best, and wanted to make sure they went with their instinct. Sandy had gotten first pick, and made good use of it.

He led Hannah into a large room, a small table and two chairs sitting there. The room itself was barely lit, one large skylight open to the stars. However, Sandy had taken advantage of Hannah's love for candles. The whole room was ablaze with little flickering lights, so that while it was nearly bright as day time in the room, the candles cast quivering shadows across the walls.

While Hannah looked on in amazement, Sand Man watched her closely.

She _was _very attractive. In the slimming black dress that reached just above her knees, her arms and legs looked shapely and whole. However, he was not attracted _to _her. He sighed, knowing it would be a painful process, this dating thing.

She turned to him suddenly, smiling. "This is great, Sandy. Thanks." And she walked over to the table.

As they chatted and ate, Hannah realized how much she liked Sandy. Not _liked_ him, but liked him. He was really fun, understanding, nice- everything a person looked for in a mate.

Unknown to either, the rest of the guardians, and Mrs. North, stood crowded by the doors to the room, trying desperately to listen in on the conversation and see what happened. It was hilarious to see all of them cramming their heads by the crack to hear.

Jack stood separated from the rest of group, arms crossed and frustrated. Every time Tooth sighed, Jack's mood deteriorated a little farther. Finally, he snapped. He grabbed his staff and stormed off down the hallway.

Tooth was mildly shocked, "Jack? Are you leaving?"

"If you all want to lounge around here and listen to this stupid chit-chat, fine. But don't expect me to listen in on my possible future spouse with another person!"

And with that, he was gone.

Hannah and Sandy continued their 'date', unfazed by the yelling outside.

Still fuming, Jack paced the roof of the workshop, flinging snow and frost at the air as if he were fighting a much hated enemy. Finally, he calmed down enough in the cool night air that he sat down, his head in his arms, resting on his up-drawn knees. Panting, he let the heat behind his eyes go unnoticed. His thoughts flew around him like bees, keeping him angry, upset, and on edge.

Why did he care? He didn't know her. What did it matter to him that Hannah was with someone else? After all, she'd be all his tomorrow... Why be so upset?

He swiped his sleeve across his eyes and looked up at the moon, pleading.

"Manny... Please... Show me something? Tell me what to do... I don't understand how to work this all out."

The sound of laughter and a small clink brought him to his senses. Before him sat the skylight that opened into the date room. He slid over to it on his stomach, giving him a perfect view of Hannah smiling. He sighed again. She looked happy. What right did he have to interrupt that?

No matter. He'd give her the date of a lifetime the next night. It would be great.

And she could be his.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack flew in erratic circles around North's private workshop. One would normally assume he was happy, or excited. In reality?

He was nervous to the center of his being.

Frost and snow shot out of his staff and hands at random, decorating North's office with unnecessary cold, waiting for the large Russian warrior (or anyone else for that matter) to return to the office and give him the news. His hair flopped in the wind and bounced against his head as he launched himself on and off objects at random, trying desperately to calm the bundle of insects in his stomach. Just as Jack shot off toward the door, it opened of it's own accord.

Out in the hallway, yetis and elves stopped, shocked, nearly pounded into the floor themselves as a teenage boy with a stick tackled Bzingfort. The others watched on as they tried to untangle themselves from each other and stand up. Jack stared into the yeti's face, anxiously awaiting the news he brought.

After a few minutes of confusion, Jack figured out that the disgruntled animal noises meant something along the lines of, "Hannah is ready for the date now."

_"Yes!"_ Jack whooped and shot off in the direction of the girl. He knew she'd be with the rest of the guardians, back in the globe room. When he arrived, they were laughing at some joke.

A blast of icy wind and the arrival of a wide-eyed boy gave him their attention. "Hey everyone." He smiled mischievously at the black haired girl, seeing that she was _not_ dressed for the occasion. He chuckled a little bit. "You aren't going to want to wear that...Nice as it is, try warmer."

He looked her up and down again, noticing how the flat sandals exposed her toes, and the halter top let her shoulders show. The dress was simple, elegant and purple, made for summer. He laughed again, and pointed up, through the open window above them. She looked up, following his finger, and sighed.

"Well, I'll go get some jeans." Five minutes later, she reappeared in a pair of jeans and the shirt with Jack's design of blue snowflakes on a white background. She also wore a thick zip up hoodie and a pair of sneakers.

She shrugged her arms, raising her eyebrows questioningly at the trouble maker. He nodded in acceptance, then walked over to her. About a foot from her, he whipped his staff out, hooking her waist and scooping her close to him.

She sputtered a bit, but as he released her waist and let his hand rest in his staff's place. Gently, he pulled her hood up over her head. She lay her hands on his chest without an argument. He looked to the rest of the group, eyes alight with a hidden joke, and waved at them sarcastically.

"Later!" A sudden wind blinded the group for a moment. With tear streaked eyes, they watched two figures shoot into the air and disappear. Other than a whoosh of left behind air, the room was silent. Bunny spoke first.

"I hope she likes thrill rides... If not... Sandy may be getting lucky."

Out in the cool, breezy world above, Jack slowed to a float high above the window they'd just exit. Hannah clung onto him with excitement at the rush of adrenaline pumping in her veins. The ageless guardian could feel her heartbeat thumping against his own chest. He chortled at her happy awe, then waved the wind to take them away again.

Hannah allowed a small giggle to escape her as they swept over frozen forests and hills coated with frost. "Jack! This is- this is marvelous!" She laughed again while the wind stung her eyes and made them water.

He chuckled along side her, letting himself become absorbed in the fun bubbling up between them.

Soaring above the ground without a care in the world, Jack didn't want to let go. Sadly, they were approaching their destination quickly. He let the wind die down, floating down to the powder shrouded ground, trying to keep Hannah steady on his arm. Her hair was blown wildly away from her face, and her nose, cheeks, and eyes were red from the biting wind. Jack pinched the tip of her nose, imitating the common saying about him... "Jack Frost nippin at your nose..."

Hannah laughed at him and stumbled a little, stopping and swaying a bit at the sight of a picnic blanket and basket.

She looked back at him questioningly, and he nodded. She smiled and stepped back toward him instead. She grabbed his hand and dragged him along behind her. For a moment, he was shocked, then wrenched his hand out of hers.

"Jack?" She stopped, confused, "What's wrong...?"

Jack's face shifted toward pink, making his freckles- that no one beside Hannah could see- stand out more. "Well, it's pretty cold out, so holding my hand might set you to shivering... I don't want you to catch a cold or anything..." He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Hannah understood what he was saying, but was still confused. She smiled and gently took his hand again, expecting it to be cool. However, it was warm to the touch. "Jack, your hand isn't cold at all... I don't know why you're freaking out!"

"It... It isn't?"

"No... Should it be?"

"Well, I'm Jack Frost... Most people who touch me think I feel cold." He smiled to himself. "Feels good though... To be warm."

Hannah smiled and dragged him over to the blanket and basket. She saw now that there were several quilts folded neatly behind the basket. It felt oddly familiar... Something about a weird dream she'd forgotten itched at the back of her mind. Annoyed, she resolved to try remembering the dream later. Suddenly, the black-haired girl got a strange urge. "Hey, Jack...?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I call you Jack_son_? I know that's your full name and that no one really calls you by it, but it just feels right. More natural." She looked at her feet. "Does that make sense?"

He blushed a little more. "Yeah, sounds good... I like it." On the spur of the moment, he kissed her forehead, then was overcome by the embarrassment of it. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't- I didn't think about that-"

Hannah countered with a smack on the cheek. With her lips, of course.

"Don't mention it... _Jackson_..." She giggled at him, her own face thinly painted pink, and sat down by the basket.

And thus began a date that wouldn't end for _quite_ a while.


	10. Chapter 10

Hannah and Jack sat facing each other on the luxurious quilt, completely secluded from the rest of the world. Hours passed as they chatted and ate, not caring enough to notice the sun as it slid downward, slowly shutting the light out of the world. Eventually, after exhausting plenty of topics of conversation- among them food, games, snow days, school, and man eating plants- they started talking about the situation they were in.

"So, how is it? To be in this whole forced situation, I mean..." Jack lay on his back, facing Hannah and wringing his hands.

"Well... I guess it's not all that bad..." She pulled at his fluffy hair gently, toying with it as she continued, "It's just... It's weird to know that I'll be spending the rest of my life here... When just a week ago I was with my family..."

Her hand dropped. Jack understood, "Yeah, I miss my family, too. You'll get to see yours again, though... You know that right?"

"I do? North didn't tell me that..."

"He told me this morning... You'll get a day or two to spend with them and say goodbye... They could come to your wedding." He seemed more melancholy. Hannah went back to playing with his hair.

"...Thank you, Jackson..." She leaned down and kissed his forehead lightly.

After he regained his composure, he chortled at Hannah. "Anytime... Hannah... Can I call you snowflake?"

"Uh... What?"

"I dunno, just sounds right, to call a girl a snowflake. I mean, there are thousands of millions of them, and not one is exactly the same. Not even twins are completely the same... So... I want you to be my snowflake. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah... Yeah, it does." She smiled. A gust of wind shook the trees around them, dropping snow onto the ground in small mounds. Hannah shivered.

"Oh, oh you're cold." Jack rolled over and pushed himself onto his hands, looking around frantically. "Here!"

He grabbed the stack of quilts and started to pile them around Hannah. She scoffed at him through chattering teeth.

"I'm not going to get much warmer this way!" She tried to wiggle free, but Jack kept layering them on. "All that's going to happen this way is I'll fall over, and I won't be able to get up."

At the suggestion, Jack grasped the small of her back (or as close to it as he could get what with the quilts in the way) and made sure she wouldn't fall.

"Jackson! Honestly!" She poked her hand through the coverings and grabbed his sweater at the neck. "Get in here!"

Eyes wide, he shook his head frantically. "I'm too cold... I'll just make things worse."

"Don't be ridiculous! Come on, another person's body heat will warm me up faster, and you if you're cold."

"No! If I do, you'll just catch cold!"

"Really, Jackson? Stop being so difficult, just get in here and-"

"NO!"

Hannah stopped struggling. She shivered in tense silence.

"No..." Jack's hands wrung his hair out. "I want to... I want you to be comfortable, and happy, but I can't... I can't be what you need!"

He froze on the spot, eyes wider than before.

Hannah froze, too, eyes matching Jack's in width.

Then came the flood.

Not water, not snow, but a flood of memories neither had seen before. Subconsciously, Hannah realized it was all very familiar, though she had never seen this particular display. There was a girl, Melanie, and a boy who looked very similar to the one in front of her.

_The voices echoed at first, the pictures blurry, but as it went on, the image sharpened. The voices sounded as close as they would if she were there with the two teenagers. The boy was laughing, sitting with one foot up on a boulder. The girl giggled and covered her mouth, cross-legged on a rock facing him. She brushed her pitch black hair behind her ear and looked at the boy with glittering eyes. They were as green as the new spring grass sprouting around them in tufts._

_"Jackson?" _She smiled at him.

_"Yeah, snowflake?"_

_"Well... We've been together for years... Since we were five... What if,"_ She blushed profusely,_ "What if we _did_ get married?"_

The boy, Jackson, was no longer laughing. He looked much more melancholy than he had a moment ago. He knew she wasn't simply imagining things, she wanted it. She wanted it just as much as he did.

_"I want to... I want you to be comfortable, and happy... But I can't. I can't be what you need."  
_

_"What do you mean...?" _The girl was crest fallen.

_"I can't provide for you... I'm just the village idiot. How could I ever be a proper husband like that?"_

She lept off her boulder and embraced him. _"Oh, Jackson... I don't care. I don't care about any of that.__" _She pulled back to look at him. _"I just want to be with you."_

His face slowly broke into a handsome lopsided smile. _"Well, if you insist... Then maybe someday I'll ask you.__"_

Melanie laughed, _"Someday!? Jackson...!"_

The memory shifted, colors blurring until a day late in summer, where the same two sat lazily in a field of grass and wildflowers. They laid with their heads at each other's elbows, on their backs, staring at the stunning blue sky.

Melanie smiled at a passing cloud. _"That one looks like an egg. Oh, no wait... It's shifting... It looks like a..."_ She giggled, _"It looks like a baby..."_

The boy smiled knowingly. _"I know, you want kids more than anything... But just because it doesn't have a definite form doesn't mean it looks like a baby! In fact, it looks more like a water sac... The kind you make from a pig bladder..." _The girl laughed and lazily hit his arm.

_"You're mental..." _Suddenly, Jack sat up.

_"Hey, snowflake?"_ She looked up at him._ "Will you marry me?"_ He pulled a dazzling, hand-crafted bracelet out of his pocket, made of wood with inlaid gems. They glinted an icy blue in the sunlight.

_"Oh, Jackson..."_

_"Thomas helped me make it... The blacksmith's son? But I want you to wear it... You know, when we get married..."_

She hugged him, screamed "yes" at the top of her lungs, and laughed with him as they tumbled around in the long grass, laughing and (in Melanie's case) crying.

The memory shifted again.

They went through three or four in fast motion. They told their parents, they arranged it with the priest, the local carpenters went to work on a small house, the boy's mother offered to give her her wedding dress to use... They celebrated... And then, that day came into focus. It's detail was sharper than any of the others.

_"Mrs. Overland! Mrs. Overland, quick! Where's Jackson?"_

_"Oh, you just missed him... He and Olivia just went to the lake over there. Oh, and I have the dress ready inside if you'd like to see it!"_

_"No, thanks, I'm going to go join them!"_

She walked through the woods, almost in slow motion, bringing more pain than should have been possible when she saw what happened next. Hannah wanted to close her eyes on the memory, but it seemed that that wouldn't help.

Jack dropped through the ice. Melanie screamed. Hannah felt her past self's voice cut through her own throat.

And as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

Hannah stared at Jack, eyes frozen open, tears streaming down her own face.

"Jackson..." But he didn't reply.

He kissed her.

And they stayed like that as long as they could.


	11. Chapter 11

***Sorry about that confusion in the last chapter update, guys! That was on me! I'll admit it, I suck. Anyways, here's the climatic let down of the story... BUT THERE IS MORE TO COME! Just you wait! Muahahaha...***

Tooth fluttered around, anxious. Below her, North paced the floor in front of the globe wearily. Bunny leaned up against a wall, toying with his boomerang. Sandy was floating near the fire, sleeping.

And rightfully so, it was well past one in the morning.

"Where can they be?" Tooth's little helpers were zipping around her now, trying to carry out orders she wasn't delivering as she swatted them aside. "They left at five! It's been much too long... What if something is wrong? We need to go search for them!"

North stopped, his pacing now blocked by the Tooth Fairy. "Tooth, please, be calm. Jack has been known to be less than responsible, let us give him a chance, yes?" And with that, he gently pushed her aside and continued his pacing.

The fire, just a moment ago roasting merrily, blew itself out with a cold, harsh wind. Two bodies and a jumble of fabric dropped through the window in the ceiling. Jack stumbled up, tipping sideways as he shouted at the stunned guardians. He laughed as he talked, trying to tell them every bit of what the two of them had seen, but the words came out jumbled and unintelligible. At the look on everyone's faces, he did a couple back flips on air and shouted it at them again, much louder, but definitely understandable. When he finished, he paused, a huge smile plastered on his face as they began to understand.

Bunnymund was the first to speak. "So... So you two are... You're his watcher?" He flicked his boomerang between them, confirming his confusion.

"Yes!" Hannah piped up. "We... He said something, and it triggered all these memories! I remembered that I've been having these dreams before I came here- about us! Back in our past life! It was amazing, it was-" She looked at Jack, unsure of how to word her joy, "It was magical..."

Jack jumped over to her, throwing his arms around her waist and hoisting her up off the ground. They spun around, Hannah holding him round the neck, laughing happily.

North joined in their happiness, a smile splitting his intimidating face. Throwing his arms in the air, he picked up the pair of them and spun around dizzyingly. "YOU - HAVE - FOUND - YOUR - LOVE! Oooh hoo hoo! Congratulations!" He shouted each word separately as he whirled them in circles. Baby Tooths were zipping around them, swooning.

Sandy woke with a start, having slept peacefully until a stray tooth fairy smacked him in his grainy face. Hannah heard him ask what was going on before suddenly, a series of shimmering pictures appeared above his head, and his voice diminished, until she could no longer hear it.

"...Sandy...?" Before she could form a solid question, she noticed something else happening in the corner of the room. The attractive Australian man she'd seen lounging near the fire with a calm smile on his face was... Well, sprouting ears. And a tail. And fur... Before she knew it, he was gone- completely consumed in a Pooka's body. Her mouth opened and closed while she struggled to breath and create words.

"What's up, mate?"

Bunny had stopped toying with his boomerang. Every guardian was looking at her oddly now.

"It's... It's just that... You're both back to how you were... I can't hear Sandy, and... And Bunny is a bunny..."

Jack's smile slipped a bit. Hannah was quick to mend it.

"It was just a little shocking, that's all." She found it much easier to fill herself with joy as Jack's smile sprouted back up. "Yeah... I guess that marks the end of the search for sure... Well then, we should celebrate now."

"YES!" Shouted the Russian monster that was Santa, "We shall make preparations at once! We will need to get a dress, and suits, and..."

Hannah twirled the bracelet on her wrist as North's voice dwindled to a sound in the back of her mind, fiddling with the gems as Jack toyed with her hair. Neither was paying attention to North's speech. The bracelet really was pretty... Rich, light wood whittled delicately to hold the icy blue jewels... _Wait..._ Hannah thought... _Hadn't Jackson given me this in our past life!?_

Jack had noticed her bracelet, too. He looked up at her and laughed, bewilderment lighting up his face and giving him an air of careless curiosity. He slid it off her wrist, and a small note fell out from underneath it. Hannah stooped to pick it up, unfolding it so that she and Jack could read it together. There was a short, hastily written sentence and signature on it.

_Dear Melanie(Or Hannah, whichever you prefer) and Jack, congratulations on discovering your long-lost love for each other, I wish you the best._

_ Yours Moonily, MiM_

The couple looked at each other and smiled. So the bracelet worn so long ago by a different Hannah was sent by the Man in the Moon himself. The pair started as North shouted gleefully, "Do you like the idea of that? I think if we set up a ceremony like that, it will be perfect!" Hannah looked at Jack and laughed.

"Sure, North." She nodded her assent, quickly followed by Jack. They both knew that no matter what North did, it would be perfect.

Because, of course, they'd be together.


	12. Chapter 12

***Hey everyone! Sorry for my crap updating guys, I really should've been writing more, I suck... I'm so sorry, all! Also, side note, 'arvo' is Aussie slang for afternoon. If, that is, my research is correct. XD***

A pile of snow hit Sandy full in the face, turning his golden face white as he pulled his own arm back. The snowball he was holding fell from his hand with a thump while Jack soared away, laughing like mad. Bunny was hopping around in circles, kicking snow at everyone rather than bother shaping the snow. Tooth and her fairies zipped around collecting icicles off trees, carefully setting them in a cushioned sack. North emerged from the workshop with Mrs. North, holding her hand tenderly before he was also hit in the face. Hannah was running around with the rest of them, ducking to avoid well-aimed balls of slush. She giggled as she sprinted right underneath Jack, grabbing his sweater and shoving snow underneath it. He gasped a little; While it wasn't very cold to him, she'd taken him by surprise.

He turned on the spot just in time to see her whip another one at him, knocking him clean out of the air. Laughing, he jumped back up and tackled her. She shrieked with laughter as she tumbled toward the ever present layer of fluff on the ground beneath her. Jack joined joyfully in her laughter while they rolled and tumbled among the flurry of fallen flakes. The other slowed their all out war slightly to watch. A moment or two later, Jack had Hannah pinned by the arms and was nose to nose with her. Still giggling like mad, she kissed him, and he stood to pull her up by the wrist.

"Well if you two are done snoggin' and such, we're goin' in. I mean, hang out here all arvo if you'd like, but I'm freezin'." Bunny threw on a sly smile and let the group back inside.

Jack lingered with Hannah for a moment, watching the rest of them disappear before asking her, "_Are_ we done snogging? Please say 'no'..." She pinched his cheek and led him over to the doors. Before she pushed it open though, she turned and kissed him. Curious, he opened his mouth to ask her why she'd delayed, but she cut him off quickly with a, "You didn't want them all watching through the windows, did you?"

Sure enough, the rest of the guardians were all standing by the windows on the floor above when they reached them. Bunny was still wearing his smug expression. Normally, Jack would've wanted to kill him on the spot for just looking at him like that. But then again, Jack really didn't care anymore. He smiled and shrugged it off. North began to speak.

"I know that you two have said you'd like to plan the vedding on your own- I don't know vy you didn't like my idea about a traditional Russian vedding, but oh vell- either vay, ve need to start on this immediately. Hannah only has two days vith her family before they forget about her... Luckily, she must contact them before this 'appens. So. First things first, where to host such an event? I vos, of course, thinking of the Pole... Tooth?" Tooth shot up a little higher in the air, scaring North slightly.

"How about the Tooth Palace!?"

"Or the Burrow?" Interjected Bunny.

A series of chiming sounds came from Sandy.

The four of them argued for a moment before Jack waved his staff in front of him. The group shuddered and he turned to Hannah before he spoke to them, "Sorry about the chill." He looked back at the other guardians. "Not to burst anyone's bubble, but I think this should be..." He motioned to his fiance, "Our choice? Perhaps?"

Hannah stepped in, "First of all, Jackson, I didn't feel any chill, I don't really know what you're on about... And secondly, I think that he's trying to say that while we appreciate your help- we're going to need our space with this. I mean, it's a once in a lifetime thing! Oh, well, I guess it is for me anyway..." She glanced at Jack, leaning on his staff and chuckling.

"No offense taken, of course!" Tooth was almost aghast at the suggestion. "We just want you two happy!"

Hannah looked at Jack, then at her feet for a moment. "I... I think that it should be... Well... Someplace warm." Jack gaped at her.

"Wa... Warm!? But... Well I thought that... Since you were with me, that..."

"Well, yes, and I love you cold and all-" She retaliated quickly, "It's just that... Living in a... Well... Not tropical area of the world for all my life... And spending the rest of my life with Jack Frost... I mean that I just, I want to go somewhere while I have the chance! Even if it is just the two days... Is that really such a bad thing?"

Though looking thoroughly disgruntled, Jack nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right..." He glanced at her, "But, uh, what if you get tired of the cold and decide that... Well, what if you decide you just can't stand it anymore and you..." He blushed, trying to find the right, non-embarrassing way to say what he meant.

Hannah laughed.

"What!? You think it's funny? Whatever, I shouldn't have expected more than that..." Jack was ready to storm off, when Hannah chocked her giggles back to make room for words and grabbed the sleeve of his hooded sweater.

"Heh... No, Jackson, it's not that it's funny... It's just that, the situation... A ha ha ha... You really think that I'd _leave_ you!?" She chocked on her laughter again, trying to keep in under control. "I've chased you through re-incarnation for some 300 _years_ Jackson! What on _earth_ would I do without you?" She finished her statement, eyes still watery from laughter, by wrapping her arms around his neck.

Still embarrassed and thoroughly annoyed at her reaction, Jack patted her back awkwardly and shifted out from under her.

"Oh, don't be mad. That's your problem, you know that? You're so moody..." She smiled while she said it though, everyone knew that no matter how true it was, she'd let it go. "Anyway... I was thinking of maybe Costa Rica, yeah? The forest, the beaches, the trails... Oooh and the wildlife!" She clapped her hands together and jumped around a little bit.

Jack was now leaning on his staff, palm supporting his cheek, looking thoroughly annoyed. And when Hannah saw his face, she ended up looking just the same. "Why, why, why-" She threw her hands around in frustration for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe her anger at him. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE REASONABLE!?" Exasperated, she turned back to the other guardians. "Maybe... Maybe we need to do this at a different time. I'm going back to the room." Flushed and angry, she threw on a smile(which looked much more like a grotesque grimace) and left, her hair whipping through the air behind her as she stalked off to the room that she and Jack were now sharing.

North stood bouncing awkwardly on the balls of his feet. "Vell... Dis is... Very uncomfortable..."

Jack scoffed at him and marched off after his 'loving' fiance.


	13. Chapter 13

"I just don't understand why you're so mad at me!" Jack was sitting low in an armchair sulking. He had his feet propped up and he was twirling his staff moodily.

"I'm not mad at you!" Hannah paced the room in a fit. "I'm just frustrated with you, that's all. You always get set off at the littlest things! I mean, I know that you're frozen at the height of your pubescent mood swing stage, but you could at least-" She stopped pacing at Jack's scoff,

"Ex_cuse_ me!? The 'height of my pubescent mood swing stage'!? And what is that supposed to mean?" He jumped up, standing in Hannah's way, in a complete uproar. "I am not in any mood swing stage, thank _you_ very much! Who said I even need you, huh?" He shoved his face in hers, not caring to notice the tears that had sprung up in her eyes, perhaps because she looked so defiant.

"Well, forgive me for caring Jack!" She repressed a sniffle, "You're so hard to please! You've been unhappy for so long, that nothing anyone does can possibly matter! You see? I made you happy for a whole week before it became too much a hassle for you to make anyone else happy!" Thrashing her arms, she continued to belt her feelings at Jack, who was taken aback and looking hurt. "I've just dropped my whole, entire life for some prospect of a husband I don't know! I left my friends, family, schooling, hobbies, and everything else just so that I could come here and date some, some-" She fumbled to herself, flushed and angry, "Some FAIRYTALE characters! DO YOU THINK I'M HAPPY? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY BE UPSET IF I CAN HANDLE ALL OF THIS AND STILL BE ABLE TO BE HAPPY!?"

Chest heaving, tears pouring down her face, Jack flustered, they stood still for several moments that felt like eternity before Jack finally spoke.

"I... I didn't even think of how... Of how much you could be, uh, affected by this whole thing... I'm sorry... You just acted so tough about it... I... I didn't consider-"

"Of course not, Jack. Of course you didn't think of it." Her voice was gentle again, "You've got no family, you lost them years ago... and it wasn't too long ago that you even found out about that..." She rubbed her forehead, now pulsing in a headache, "I just... I was hoping that you'd be a bit more understanding and patient with this whole deal... God, you're so easily thrown off... Heh..."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "God, Hannah... I'm sorry..." He threw his staff to the bed and put his hands on her elbows. When she looked up through swollen eyes, he pulled her into a hug. "You're right. I don't know how to act around you. Other than this last year, I've almost never interacted with _anyone_. I don't know how what I do will affect people sometimes... I should've been more careful about your feelings..." He sighed.

"Well, it's over now... Let's just... Be careful what we say now, okay? This is hard for us both..." Hannah squeezed him a bit, and he pet her hair.

"Yeah... Okay... You're right."

"Hey..." She glanced up at him, "I'm never gonna age now, right?"

"Well, yeah. I don't think so... Why?"

"Does that mean my body will never change...?"

"Oh... Uh... I'm not sure... Wait, is this one of those 'I'm fat' situations? Cause I've never had experience with that, and you're not fat."

They laughed for a moment before Hannah let her thoughts out again. "Well... I was just wondering about, uh... About kids..."

"Whu- heh, you're kidding, right? Funny, funny... Cause I'm the guardian of fun, so, you're trying to be funny. Cute." He kissed her forehead.

"Oh... Heh, yeah!" She replied, knowing that Jack wasn't going to catch the regret in her voice. "I was... Kidding..."

"Aha... You're such a joker." He ruffled her hair, not seeing the pained expression she wore, and walked over to the bed to retrieve his staff. "Well, I guess we ought to get to bed, yeah?"

"Mmm? Oh, yes... Bed..." She walked to the door and turned of the lights, then stripped off her jeans and bra as she felt her way back to the bed where Jack waited, taking off his own clothes for comfort. "Uh, I'm just going to hit the bathroom first, alright?" She smiled through the darkness, which was pointless.

"Okay! I might just... Drift off..." Jack spoke between yawns.

Unbeknownst to him, she slipped into the bathroom, turning on the lights and shutting the door, only to sit on the toilet and think.

For what felt like an eternity, Hannah sat with her feet curled under her, thinking about her future. Everything she'd said in that room had been true... While they were fighting, that is... She had left everything she'd thought was her future for one where she couldn't have anything she liked... Sure, she could sing all she wanted; but would crowds of fans be touched, inspired, and pumped by her music? Of course, she could make as many crafts or cosplay outfits or fan art pieces as she liked; but would there ever be anyone to admire them, save Jackson? Now she had a family; but what would a family be if she could never have kids...?

_Even if I can have kids,_ She thought, _would they be immortal? Would they be infants forever? What kind of life would that be...?_

_What kind of life have _I_ agreed to?_


	14. Chapter 14

***Hey guys! So I sorta just whipped this one out because I was totally on a roll, so there may be some small mistakes, but I don't have time to fix them just yet... But I wanted to update tonight! So here it is! :D***

Jack sat in the bed alone, very uncomfortable, pretending to sleep. He couldn't sleep at all of course, being an immortal being, but his now fiance seemed to have forgotten that. Hannah had just slipped the bathroom door shut, and he heard her put down the toilet lid and sit on it, realizing she was just as restless as he was. He jumped silently out of the bed again, whipping the blankets back, and found the quilt that he had hidden under the edge of the bed. He thought he felt a cool breeze blow across his hand, but simply told himself that he was imagining things. Wrapping himself in the retrieved quilt tightly, covering everything up to his neck, he then stumbled onto the bed again, using his mouth to pull the comforter back over himself so that Hannah wouldn't see.

He blushed at his own stupidity, frost creeping across his cheeks, quite contradictory to the heat he felt rising there as well. But he didn't want her to be cold... She kept saying she didn't feel anything, but he was cold to everyone else, why shouldn't she be any different? She probably just did it to make him feel better. He sat in the bed, the bed that they were supposed to share after having only known each other for 48 hours, maybe less. He didn't feel right about it, having the morals of an 18th century man, he knew they shouldn't be sharing like that until they were married. He'd actually planned ahead of time to go sleep on the floor or chair in the night, but wasn't sure how long Hannah would be.

Sighing quietly, he recognized her breathing- the sound signaling how physically close she was, but mentally, he knew that she was very distant from him. She'd only been there for 4 days, but he loved her. That much he could feel. He could tell that she felt the same, but she was right. She was really right. He'd taken her away from the only life she'd ever known, and away from everything she'd ever planned. And what could he do?

How was he supposed to fix that pain?

How could he make that any better?

_Nothing_, he thought, _Nothing I do can make her feel any better... Wait, unless..._ A thought struck him with such ferocity that he tried to leap out of the bed, only to land with a muffled thump on the floor, still wrapped tightly in the quilt. He disentangled himself and jumped up to his feet, barely regaining his balance before shooting off through the door. The room was silent for a moment. Then, doubling back, the forever teenager shot back into the room and grabbed his staff, chuckling at his own genius loudly, and was gone again.

"Jackson?" Hannah peered out of the bathroom, realized that both the room and the bed were empty, and sighed. "Well, I guess if I can hide in a bathroom to cope, you can take a walk..." She flicked the lights off and jumped in the bed, a habit she'd formed a few years ago, just from the discomfort of the pitch darkness that was under the bed. Hannah had had a thing about her feet for a while. The adrenaline rush she got from the dark just made her think that if she was ever going to get killed or captured or anything, that they'd use her feet to torture her. She didn't know why, but she thought to herself jokingly now that it must have been something that had happened in a past life. She laughed to herself as she pulled the covers up to her neck, snuggling down deep into the warmth they provided.

Her eyes drifted shut, almost not registering the flicker of movement just over the edge of the bed. They snapped open again, and she lifted her head, trying to see what may have caused the flicker of shadow. She hesitated, not seeing anything, before slowly lowering her head back down to the pillow. She shut her eyes and plugged her up facing ear, ready for any unknown force to attack. After a few moments of feeling stupid, She lowered her hand from her ear, peeking through her eyelids to see nothing but darkness in the room. She sighed, knowing it was just her thoughts messing with her.

Then the darkness opened it's horrifyingly yellow eyes, wrapping a smooth gray hand over her mouth before she could scream.

blub~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~blub

Jack zipped around the pole all morning, trying to find Hannah. "Hannah!?" He called out time after time, "I have a surprise for you! A present! I talked to Moony last night, and, well- you'll have to see!" Puzzled, he landed on the roof, having searched nearly the whole pole. "Where is she...? She wasn't in the room, I checked the kitchens, the dining room, the workshops, the globe room..." He ticked each location off on his fingers as he went, "I even asked the others if they'd seen her!"

He leapt off the roof, landing lightly next to the main door to the large fort-like structure, hoping to himself that she wasn't hiding because she was still mad or anything... He couldn't blame her if she was.

He pushed the huge oak door open, tapping his stick against his shoulder absentmindedly, and pulled the small package he'd gotten from Moony out of his sweatshirt pocket. It was simple, palm-sized, with a very small square of yellow on it and some twine to tie it all together. Jack hadn't seen the thing inside, but knew generally what it would be. He also knew that the package would grow in size when it reached Hannah, but first he needed to find her...

He glanced up from his unconscious walk, distracted by some yelling by the elves and yetis. A shadow in the corner was swelling, shifting, and... Laughing!?

"PITCH!" Jack shoved the package roughly into his pocket again, swinging his staff down viciously to defend himself. The laughter continued, but it only took a moment for Jack to realize what had happened. The cool breeze beneath the bed when he'd reached for the quilt. The fact that Hannah hadn't been in bed that morning. The fact that he hadn't been able to find her since- it all clicked into place.

"WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER, PITCH? WHERE!?" He hesitated, waiting for an answer, then charged when he wasn't met by any. The voice simply narrated the pitiful sight of Jack's struggles to freeze the ever moving shadow.

"Oh, look at the poor boy struggle... How sad... It really is most unfortunate, your timing. Here we were, debating how to destroy the guardians... And you just happen to find true love at the same time... Really a good deal for us..." The voice continued it's disembodied speech, unfazed by the flying frost.

"Wait," Jack's attacks faltered, "_Us_? It's not just you?"

"Of course not, boy. You think I could've escaped the _imprisonment_ you five set up for me had I not had some help?" The voice of the boogey man laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I have an ally... One who's horrors you cannot even begin to imagine... And we've got your precious girl stowed away... For... Safe keeping?" Pitch laughed again.

The whole world seemed to be collapsing around Jack.


	15. Chapter 15

***Sorry for my updates... Again! Remember those days when I posted every week? Sometimes twice!? Oh wait... That never happened. Lol anyway I got to go to Anime Midwest by O'Hare on Saturday... It. Was. Fabulous. I did speed dating. LOL***

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a shadowy, dark landscape- full of unfamiliar shapes and undefined outlines. She blinked hard, trying to clear them, but the fogginess remained. Lifting her head from her shoulder, she groaned at the stiffness there, attempting to recall where she was, and what that pain in her upper arms was, and what those two golden orbs had been...

The memory of her last night at the pole came flooding back to her. She struggled to leap out of her chair, before realizing that the pinching pain in her arms was a set of heavy ropes. Her head whipped around, her now greasy hair whipping around her face. Hannah tugged and pulled against the bonds, which also bound her wrists behind the back of the chair, but succeeded only in rubbing her arms and wrists raw. Panic clawed at her chest like a caged animal, begging to be set free. For another moment she struggled, then, unable to contain her fear any longer, she let out a short, small sob. Another followed closely behind it, and again, until finally she was screaming and sobbing with all her being, the animal within her tearing at her throat.

After what seemed like hours, Hannah's horrified screams died down to crying tiredly. She hung her head, not knowing what was to become of her now, or why she'd been taken in the first place.

A voice whispered to her gently, _Tsk, tsk... _It taunted her, _Such a lovely face, to be making such ugly sounds..._ The whisper itself seemed to ride on the wind. It sent chills down her spine, making her shiver and quake.

"Who- who's there...?" She croaked. She cleared her throat, and tried again, "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

The voice echoed around her again. It seemed vaguely familiar, but she somehow didn't associate it with a happy memory. Hannah clung to her mind as a distraction from this fright fest, but before she could make a connection, a shadowy figure blossomed into view. It seemed to rise from the inky floor itself, blooming into a tall, lank, and very frightening man.

A double glint of gold shimmered at her.

"Wh-who-"

An evil smile.

"Who are you?"

A cruel laugh.

"I don't understand..." She whispered hesitantly.

"Oh, but don't you? Dear girl, I'd have thought it'd been simple." The man shifted, suddenly right in front of the chair, and leaned down, close to the victim's face. "We need you dead."

"What...?" Surely, she had heard wrong.

"I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, 'Why would he need me dead?' Well, here's your answer. My... _Aquaintance_, whose living quarters we currently occupy, and I, have similar desires. We both want the Guardians down for the count. We're both very neglected by them, you see?"

"I don't... I don't understand. I don't even know who you are..."

"Ah, you see?" The man began pacing in front of her, aggravated, "They haven't even told you! Dear, _dear_ Hannah... They told you that every myth, legend, and fable is true, didn't they? Did they mention that that includes the bad ones?" He stopped his back and forth and stared down at her. "I am the Boogeyman. Pitch Black. Your worst nightmare." He chuckled at his own joke and stalked back into the shadows.

"You should recognize me... I was the base for every bad dream, scared night, and rush of horrified adrenaline you ever received." His shadow swirled around on the walls, in many places at once, mocking her. "Do you remember the dream you had as a child, the one where you go fishing with your brother? You remember how your bait box was filled with spiders that attacked and consumed your brother? Do you remember the feeling of them crawling... All... Over... Your body?" In this last sentence, the same sensation of a billion tiny legs clicking over her skin reverberated. She shuddered, letting out a small shriek of horror before it was gone.

Pitch's face rematerialized in front of her. "Me. It was all me." And then he was gone.

Hannah realized why the voice sounded familiar. It was the sound of those spiders moving, of her brother screaming in that dream, of any evil noise in any bad dream she'd ever had.

A rush of air behind her alerted her to Pitch's presence.

"And now... We will have to kill you."

"But, wait! What good will that do?"

"I'm sorry?" The shadow king looked bored.

"Well, I'll just be re-incarnated again! I've been doing it for 300 years... I'll just pop back up again! So what's the use in killing me?"

"Don't you know, darling? What happens to you when you finally see the memories of your past life? When you truly discover your Guardian pair? Or did they avoid telling you that, because they thought there was no chance of it happening?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well, when you hear that key phrase, that trigger, and you know for sure which Guardian is your partner- you're vulnerable! Meaning that the charm that keeps you regenerating through out the years has broken..." He trailed off, his figure disappearing again. "So if I kill you now-"

"I'm gone." The truth sank into Hannah's stomach like a cannon ball; cold, heavy, and unyielding. She was truly going to die there. And to think, she'd spent her last night alive fighting with the one she loved.


	16. Chapter 16

The North Pole, usually sparkling in the bright sunlight, stood dark, desolate, and utterly eerie in the midst of the snow storm brewing around it. The clouds had changed from their regular white, surpassed a stormy gray, and were rumbling around in the sky, now an inky black. The way they rolled made it seem as if all Hell was about to break loose, and the concrete mass of hail and snow that rained down did nothing to deny that image. Jack Frost was in an uproar, and the world's climate was suffering for it.

North America and Canada were seeing their worst snow storm in _centuries_. Africa was shivering in it's haze of snowflakes, the people unsure of how to react to something they'd never seen. Those countries that were in summer stopped and stared, shocked at the sudden change, then rushed to take cover as the ominous clouds overtook them. All over the world, Jack was causing mayhem unconsciously. All he knew was rage, hate, and the fact that as soon as he found Pitch, he was going to destroy him.

Permanently.

North had called the yetis to prepare the sleigh. Tooth was in a flustered state, trying to ignore her fairies, zipping around like she was swatting off mosquitos. Sandy's head was alight with pictures he was forming unconsciously, no doubt worrying where on Earth Pitch could be hiding. Bunny was hopping around, agitated, mumbling to himself about where they were going to find Pitch. And Jack... Poor Jack was in an uproar. He was so beyond angry that the others couldn't even see or understand him, he was screaming and flying around so quickly. There was only a few words that they heard him say clearly, and were disturbed by what he was implying.

For the millionth time, Jack flew across the globe in the center of the pole, slashing his staff at the wall and marking it with razor sharp, freezing cold frost. He used the impact to launch off in another direction, imagining each place he struck to be Pitch as he went. His shouting was still incomprehensible, but he made sure everyone could understand a few words, 'kill', 'Pitch', 'partner', 'Hannah', 'Melanie', and 'bastards'.

Tooth looked at Sandy and Bunny, communicating with only eyes what they knew would happen when Jack found the Boogeyman.

North stumbled into the room, upset, shouting "WHY ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND!? COME! SLEIGH IS READY!"

Jack froze mid-air, and flew past the others to get to the sleigh first. North had forbid him to go off on his own, even for this. He'd expressed the possibility of a trap, and while Jack was ready to cut him open for holding him back, he knew it was true. So he stood next to north in the sleigh, waiting for the others to get in before they were off.

Jack bounced on his bare feet, clearly radiating fury, and shouted at North, "Don't these things go any faster!?"

"I'm afraid not!" Father Christmas shouted to him as they cleared the exit tunnel faster than they'd ever gone.

"Ughhh... Well? Throw the snow globe! Come on!" North did just that, and they zipped through the portal, into a small town layered deep with fat, thick snowflakes. "WHERE IS IT!?" Jack jumped off the sleigh, moving faster with the wind than the sleigh or reindeer could. He shot through the storm, the snow creating a makeshift tunnel for it's master, searching the ground for the entrance to Pitch's lair. After what seemed like an eternity, he dropped to the ground, unable to find it. He was so sure it had been in this exact spot! There was even a small circle where the ground looked like it had been freshly churned and filled...

He attacked the earth with his staff, attempting to dig it up, but each strike of furious rage didn't cut into the dirt, but instead coated it in another layer of fresh ice. Swing after swing, blow after blow, he attacked the entrance to the Shadow King's layer with absolutely no useful affect. Minutes of his pounding echoed around him. Somewhere amongst his attack, he felt heat. Welling up behind his eyes, he felt the scorch of tears blooming into reality. Still beating at the now solidly frozen ground, he let a scream of agony tear from his throat, out of his lips, and split the air. The tears that were flowing froze into tracks of pain on his face, forming what looked like frozen waterfalls.

Finally, when his arms could no longer exert enough strength to beat the thick layering of ice any longer, he stopped. Collapsing against his staff, he fell to his knees, weeping. Something heavy fell to his shoulder, squeezing lightly. Another, tiny one, gripped his other shoulder. He didn't acknowledge them.

Pitch was gone.

And he took her.

The one person he could have looked forward to. The one link to his past. The one girl he loved. Gone.

And it was his fault.

For leaving.

For walking out.

And he had fought with her.

They had yelled.

Screamed.

And hadn't truly made up.

And she was gone.

Wails of anguish pierced the air as he curled over himself, trying to nurse the pain in the hole that had been torn through his body. He dropped his staff, cradling his stomach, wracked with grief. That he couldn't save her. He was useless, _again_. For how long had he served a real purpose before he had messed up another time? Before he had ruined everything _again_!?

Seconds, minutes, hours, days- Jack didn't know how long it was before his body would let him cry no more. Chest still heaving, he sniffed, and lifted himself off the ground. Without looking at the others, he grabbed his staff and walked away from them. Not caring to tell them what he was doing, he ignored their questions, their calling out to him.

North held the other three back from retrieving him. "Let him go." He said grimly. "He needs to... Work things out."

Jack wasn't sure if Bunny, Tooth and Sandy would know what he was doing, but North did. Of that he was sure. He knew that Jack would hunt down Pitch and his unknown partner until the end of the earth. He already had a general idea of who he might be working with. He would make them suffer for what they'd done... He was going to torture them both.

And they would see no mercy.


	17. Chapter 17

***Guys... I am so, so, so sorry for the spelling later on. I was trying to capture an accent. I don't even know how well it worked. I can't tell. Lol tell me through PM or review if you think I did well with it once you read and figure out what I was trying to do. I don't wanna give it away here, so... Haha...** Well** have fun... Kay bye.***

Hannah's weak, small sobs echoed in the dimly lit cavern. It was still foggy around her, somewhat reflecting her mental state currently. The same few questions were running through her mind in an endless circle. The same observations, never any new realizations. She focused on them again, trying to figure out her situation.

_Why am I still alive? Why torture me like this? Pitch and his unknown partner want me dead so that Jack will be weak, and they can rise up and destroy the Guardians. So why not kill me? If they haven't killed me yet, it's probably so that they can either kill me in front of him, or so that they can get information out of me. If they want information, then they're out of luck... I don't know anything about the Guardians that they probably don't already. If they want to kill me in front of Jack, then they're making themselves vulnerable by allowing him to find me. If he finds me, then the other Guardians will surely be with him... There's no way he'd rise going off alone, right? So then maybe they'd want to find _him_ and kill me out in the open? But if they'd wanted that, then surely they could've done it by now... But then again, Jack must still be with the others, so that's a no-no... There's no way to win with me still being alive... Why not just get it over with and kill me? Why am I still alive...? Why..._

And on the circle went, Hannah's body eventually refusing her tears. Her chest shook with emotion, knowing what was supposed to happen to her, and wishing desperately that she'd already told Jack she loved him... She hadn't got the chance... She closed her eyes, trying not to think of the questions... Of the problem at hand... And suddenly, head hanging, she was asleep.

At first she was simply sitting in a chair again. But now, unbound and free to roam. She stood and walked straight forward hesitantly, toward the lightest spot she could find, a bit scared. At the last moment, however, her hand reaching toward the lantern's safety, it went out with a spark, leaving the area in font of her pitch dark. She backed up, whimpering a little, listening to the ringing silence around her. It sounded oddly like some sort of sick laughter. Her first instinct was to get back to the chair she'd been sitting on and curl up on it, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. She stumbled around, trying to reach the chair quickly, only to find it was occupied. A step away from it, she screamed and fumbled away from the pulsating thing. It was almost human, save that it's skin was stark white, it's hair as well, and it looked slimy. A rasping noise echoed from under the hair, where the mouth would be. Hannah tried desperately to look away, and run, but she was transfixed. The skin had gashes on it, and boils that oozed gray slime. It's nails were untrimmed and dirty with caked blood under them from scratching at it's head. The moment she noticed this, the scalp bloomed red under the stark white hair, flowing and spreading from the raw gouges alarmingly fast. Her breathing sped up, catching in her throat as the thing looked up at her with glittering blue eyes, the same color as ice, the same color the Guardians claimed Jack's eyes were-

A shriek of terror tore at her throat as she realized she must be looking down on her beloved, chained to a chair, forced to torture himself. Something grabbed her from behind, a sharp-nailed hands grabbing at her face, the other on her breasts. Suddenly paralyzed with horror, she felt the nails scrape at her face, agony ripping through her cheek, and was suddenly falling. The floor dropped away from her feet, jarring her when she suddenly hit the ground-

Only to realize that she was awake and bound in her chair again.

Tears of terror flooded down her cheeks, chest heaving in despair over the sight she'd just witnessed. She knew it couldn't be true... But... What if Pitch did that to Jackson!? What if he tortured him like that when he found him?

"I see you've been having the nightmares?" A voice rang across the cavern, a slight accent tinting his deep voice. "Pitch, plees leeff us."

Out of the shadows, a golden glint bobbed, most likely nodding, before melting into the shadows and disappearing.

"I- I..." His voice was deep, seductive almost, and Hannah could only barely focus on her question now, "I... Who... Who are you? Why are you keeping me like this?"

"My name, it is not important. What is really important ees your second question. You see, Jack Frost, he ees my target. He ees the one I need gone." Hannah tried to figure something, _anything_, out about the man talking, but she couldn't focus on anything physical, as he hadn't yet made himself visible. She thought that the accent was too thick for anything Asian, but too different from African for that... "I want to see heem crushed... You see... I haff been in the dark because off heem for many yeers. Ahhh... I haff, uh, been denied a position with theh Guardians, you see? They do not want me. Apparently, ah, what I preserf ees not goot enough for them, yes?"

He stepped out of the shadows, wearing a nicely fitted suit of what looked like silk. It was gray, matching the surroundings, his dress shoes black. His face though, Hannah was in shock.

He had to be the single most beautiful entity she had ever set eyes on. His face looked like it was carved by angels, with a chiseled jaw and a straight nose. His mouth was twisted into a devious, yet very attractive half smile, a bit like the smirk Hannah often saw on Jackson's lips. His hair was a dark, inky black, so dark that it stood out against the shadows. It was slicked back, revealing his face. His eyebrows were the same color, somewhat thick, but in a way that very much complimented his features. His deep-set eyes were a glittering green, reminding Hannah of Bunny's, but these were a landslide win against his. They had a sparkle about them... The way they shifted shades slightly when he moved his face... His chin was clean shaven, and while he was tan, it was still a very contrasted color from his hair.

He had, to say the least, a pleasing appearance.

So pleasing, in fact, that Hannah felt something stirring in her. Something that an engaged woman should not feel for someone other than her fiancée.

"Do you know who I am?" Hannah processed finally that the accent was Greek.

"I... I think so..."

"I can access what you loff most... And change my appearance to suit eet..." he crouched in front of her, sitting on his heels before out of nowhere, his face shifted, and suddenly Jack Frost was looking up at her as she saw him; unruly brown hair and mischievously glinting brown eyes. "I know all off your deepest desires..." He stroked her arm seductively, "All off your fantasies..." He let his hand journey down her side, rubbing her upper leg. She blushed. "Oh yes, I know all off what ees in your head. Do you know who I am...?"

Hannah nodded. The brown eyes of the person she loved stared up at her. Her eyelids drooped a little, overcome by the feeling radiating off of the man.

"That's right, darling... You know my name... Say it for me..."

"You're... You're-"


	18. Chapter 18

***Note, I added in a small detail about Jack's past that you guys haven't seen in here and wasn't in the movie, so you're not going to really understand... But I might write a quick one-shot about that. I dunno. Lol anyway tell me if you wanna find out what happened!***

Jack shot through snow thick as butter. It tried to part in front of him, but he was simply flying too fast for it to keep up. Below him, he could barely make out the deserted towns and fields underneath the coat of snow that enveloped every inch of land. Before he knew it, he was past the east coast of the United States, and zipping over the Atlantic Ocean. His thoughts still on Pitch and his unknown collaborator, Jack didn't even notice the raging hurricane to his right, which veered around him as he approached. Mind still in a jumble of fury, he was across the shifting, churning waters of the deep and crossing over Europe. His emotions were so high that the sea itself was freezing over around the beaches. He bypassed France, finally within sight of his destination-

Italy.

For a moment he hovered over it, unsure of where his destination was, then spotted it and dropped. For a moment, all he could see through tear streaked eyes was blurriness before the shape he was looking for emerged from the landscape of snow. He dropped to the ground in front of the Temple of Roma and Amor, staring at the dome-topped cavern at the front, and it's intricate ceiling molds. Then he turned and walked away from it.

He found the ledge of the ground, cleared the snow away, and dropped the several feet to the ground beneath him. After a moment to look around and make sure he was alone, he threw a hand out to both sides and pushed the snow away from the ledge, revealing seven barred doors against the ledge, behind him. He turned around and went to the very right side, then thought. _I remember once someone told me how to get in here... I think it was the leprechaun... What was it... Oh!_ He slid down the row, counting to the seventh door, then backed up three, forward one, and back another three(which added up to 14, of course.) He stood in front of it, and whispered very gently for one so angry, "I love you, Hannah."

The door shuddered, gave a small _click_, and swung inward toward the Temple, opening the door to a dark tunnel that would have gave most people the chills. He didn't care. The sooner he met Pitch, the sooner he could kill him for what he'd done. Jack turned to the world around him, pulling the mounds of snow back in front of the doors to cover them. He backed into the tunnel, letting the door swing closed, and watched as the thick blanket of white blocked out all light from the outside. Then he turned around and began to walk.

After a few moments, he hit what felt like stairs. He reached out to the wall to guide him, and followed a spiral down and to his right. What could have been ages later, he leveled out onto solid ground again, where the cold would normally press down on oneself, chilling them to the bone. But even if cold could affect him, he wouldn't care. He was ready for anything.

Before he knew it, he was reaching a warmer climate, an inviting, golden glow reaching to him from the end of the tunnel. He noticed how contradictory this was to his emotions before pushing the thought aside to make room for thinking of how to torture these two.

His mind cut out, and suddenly he was at the door at the end of the tunnel, carved delicately with a small heart, and a single letter V. Without thought, he pushed it open, staff at the ready, prepared to attack. Jack looked around quickly, noticing a figure petting something black directly across the room for him. Pitch sat petting his nightmare with the air of someone gloating. The room he entered was so ironically different from the person who occupied it that he nearly laughed amongst the blaze of fury he felt. Surrounded by pink and red, the silk and velvet of the room looked very inviting to most. To Jack, he looked at the shades of red like blood. Hannah's blood, that they'd most likely already spilt. His mouth twitched in rage, nostrils flared, feeling a beast claw it's way up his chest and into his throat, desperate to get out- but before it could, his enemy spoke.

"I was wondering how long it would take you, Jack." Pitch smirked, "You took your time."

Jack clenched his fists, trying desperately to control his anger.

"You should have heard her scream... Wailing... Crying out for you Jack. '_Jack!_' she would cry. '_Jack! Please, Jack! Save me!_'... But you didn't come... Did you?" The Shadow King eyed him like a child to be played with. "Why did you take your time? Why didn't you save her, _Jackson_?"

With a shout of rage, Jack flung his staff at the Boogeyman, who, expecting this, melted into the shadow behind him. "COME ON, PITCH! I'M SICK OF THIS! COME FIGHT ME!"

"Oh, no, Jack... That would be giving in to pressure... And what would you have to gain from that?"

Jack shouted, tearing at his hair and stomping his foot.

"GOD DAMN YOU!" He slammed his staff down on the ground, there was a flash of blue light, and suddenly the whole room was slick with ice.

Still breathing heavily, Jack looked around, and spotted Pitch frozen against the wall to his left. Without a second thought, Jack spit at him, and turned to his right. There was a door there, with no light from underneath it. He went with his gut and surged over to it. Beyond was a short, very dimly lit corridor, which, had it been brighter, most likely would have been red. Jack didn't care. He stormed across it and reached for the handle-

Then stopped. He could hear voices. But that couldn't be right- Pitch had a single accomplice, he'd made that quite clear- so who was he-

"That's right, darling..." He recognized the voice, and knew he was positively correct in his assumptions, "You know my name... Say it for me..."

"You're..." Hannah spoke, Jack whipped the door open, "You're-"

"Cupid."

Both people in the room whipped around to look at Jack, shocked by the sudden appearance.

"Jackson!" Hannah squirmed in her night shirt and underwear, having stripped herself of other clothes before she'd been abducted. She was also red in the face. Jack found this even more infuriating, knowing that Cupid had been trying to seduce her, and most likely winning.

Cupid himself stood slowly, brushing off his suit before turning to Jack. "Ah... Jack Frost. I was wondering when I would see you." He smiled casually. "Now I see how desperate for thees girl you really are." Jack stood staring murderously at him. He wasn't going to drop his guard quite yet. He closed the door he'd entered through, locking it from the inside as he did.

"Hello, Cupido. It's been a while."

"Ah, I see you haff not forgotten my true name, yeah?"

"Of course not, Valenciao. How could I? After the last time?" Memories of the 1980's flooded back to Jack, a time he'd only shared with one person- Cupido Valenciao. Hannah looked confused, Jack made a mental note to explain the story of Cameron soon.

"Ah yes... Dear, dear Camehron. What did effer happen to her?"

"You know what happened, you smug bastard."

"Oh, now, Jack- no need to be so feisty. She died an honorable death. I must ask you though, for I long to see eef I was right een my thought process... How deed you find me?"

"It was simple." Jack replied. "Who else would know that I'd found true love? Pitch let slip. But I would've guessed you straight away anyway."

"Ees that so? Well... I will haff to speak with heem about thees."

"Good luck. He's... Chillin out, currently." Jack smirked, still coldly furious at the handsome man before him, but not wanting to show how miffed he was.

"Ees thees so...? Well... That certainly puts a damper on things... So then. What do you plan to do to me, Jack Frost?" The dark beauty adjusted his tie snobbishly before taking a couple steps toward the forever teen. "Will you perhaps, throw a snowball at me?" He grinned, and stepped so close to Jack that their faces were nearly touching. "Or make it snow?"

Jack didn't flinch. Instead, he raised his eyes to look directly into Cupid's mossy green ones. "Not quite. I'm going to kill you."

For a moment, Cupid stood there, not responding, his devious grin flickering stupidly.

"Oh but Jack-"

"And not only am I going to kill you," Jack cut him off, "I'm going to torture you. Ironically enough, in the name of love."

Cupid saw in the brilliant blue nothing to contradict this statement. He was, momentarily terrified. "And how, pray tell, do you plan to do thees?"

"Simple. I will find your weak spot, and tear it to pieces, inch by inch. And now, you're within my reach. The door is locked. If I'm correct, there's no other way out of here. You're trapped Cupid." He grabbed the flowery pink tie around the being of love's neck and pulled him down to eye level.

"And there's nothing to stop me."


	19. Chapter 19

***Hey all! Who's a terrible author? I AM! Who sucks? Come on guys, say it with me, who sucks? WUNDUFUL-WHITE! Haha... Also, sorry this is short. Just a note, the girl I mentioned in the last chapter(Cameron) is going to have a one shot chapter in my Journal! It's under my profile as 'A Day in the Mind...' if you want to look for it. It's not written yet, I think I'll wait a bit to release it. Unless you guys desperately want to know what's up! ;) Anyway, here's this! And, as mentioned on my profile... I like fanart... So if anyone wants to give it a shot... I would love you. Even if it's not good. And you'd get a cookie from me! :D***

A loud crash echoed through the dark cavern as a handsome man in a gray suit slammed into a wall. His head drooped, a moan of pain escaping his lips. The spirit of winter shot across the room, swinging his staff across the man's face, whipping it to the side. He groaned a little louder, but Jack cut off his cries with a sharp kick in the stomach.

The spirit of love grabbed the boy's foot, twisting it, and bringing him to the ground. He grappled on the ground for a moment with him, trying desperately to snatch the hooked staff from him before it shot ice at his face, piercing his skin like tiny knives. Cupid cried out, grasping at his frozen face and trying to stumble to his feet. Jack launched himself at the older spirit again, but he was ready this time. He smacked the boy's staff and arms to the side, bringing his knee up into the pit of Jack's stomach as he fell. The breath shot out of Jack's chest, leaving him gasping for air, while Cupid snatched his staff off the ground and threw it aside.

"There!" He cried with an air of pride, "You're not so big and bad without your little stick, are you?"

Jack glared up at the gloating man, still hunched and searching for breath, "Oh trust me, I really am."

He propelled himself off the floor, again aiming for to hurt hum as much as he could. He threw a fist into Cupid's stomach as he flew at the man, followed by a few vicious punches to the face as well. Jack no longer cared to find his staff. he would inflict as much pain as he could by his hands alone. Relentless, Jack backed the man up to a wall, his face nearly unrecognizable underneath the bloody, blooming bruises and cuts developing there.

Within moments, Cupid's cries of desperation rang shrilly in the room, "Please! No! I made a grave mistake! I'm sorry!"

But Jack didn't stop. He knew Valenciao wasn't sorry at all. And he wasn't going to give in to the whining, insufferable prick knowing that.

Jack could no longer think. He could only process that there wasn't enough of Valenciao for him to punch, scratch and slap. It was the kind of relentless pain that wouldn't let him breath enough to recover his thoughts. Within seconds, the spirit of love was delirious with pain, and could no longer speak. But within those same few seconds, he wasn't himself anymore. Jack let out a strangled gasp and stumbled back, horrified that he'd hit that face.

Hannah's face.

Hannah's body.

Hannah, bloody and bruised in the same spots where he'd hit Cupid repeatedly. His chest heaving with horror, he stumbled over to the beaten body, glancing repeatedly over his shoulder to see a much more whole Hannah still tied to her chair. Mind muddled, he turned to the battered body before him, unsure of what to do.

"Jackson..." The healthy, real Hannah had a look of horror plastered on her own face. She didn't know how to react to the sight of her own body so abused.

"Jack," The winter spirit's head whipped toward the fake Hannah, still unsure how to act. He felt like beating the fake would hurt the real Hannah, and he wasn't going to chance that. "Jack... You wouldn't hit the girl you love... Would you?" The demented face smiled, a horrible grimace that made jack shudder to look at.

For a moment, all was still. The abducted girl sitting rigid in her chair, the forever teen crouched and frozen in a battle of the mind, and the cheap copy of his love giggling hysterically at the pair of them.

Then he moved.

Jack stood up, snatched his staff up from the floor, and walked over to Cupid, towering over the body that mimicked Hannah so well. The abused face fell, realizing that Jack had not taken the bait. Cupid's last resort had failed.

"No, Cupid... I wouldn't." Jack rubbed his hands over his staff, examining it how a mafia boss examines a fun before shooting it. "But I'll tell you what..."

He looked Cupid in the eyes, lowering his staff until it was aiming right at the bridge of his nose.

"I'd be willing to _kill_ anyone that hurt her."

And with a chilling silence, Cupid's world went black.


End file.
